Every cloud has a silver lining and the year 2022 proved to be one. After the panic situation due to the coronavirus, the denizens hoped for the best in 2022. At the beginning of this majestic year, the charisma showed it all and with each passing time, 2022 evolved as a great year for politics, entertainment, science, sports and other fields, especially EDUCATION. However, some negative news also made headlines. Well, we are at the end to bid adieu to 2022, so let's talk about some positive pieces that brought smiles to the faces of students and wave goodbye happily.
News that brought light to the EDUCATION field:
Latest development for PhD programs
Introducing new credit and curriculum framework for undergraduate courses, University Grants Commission (UGC) recently said that now students with four-year undergraduate degree can directly pursue PhD programs. Jagadesh Kumar, the UGC chairman rolled out a new rule and informed that universities are free to decide on their own for offering three-year Honours degrees or four-year undergraduate programs to the students. However, he informed that the three-year undergraduate courses will not be discontinued till the four-year undergraduate program is fully implemented.
UGC's step towards 'Language Harmony'
To revive the spirit of 'Language Harmony', UGC directed the education institutions to observe December 11 as 'Bhartiya Bhasha Divas.' UGC aimed to develop a conducive environment for learning Indian languages. “There is a need to create ‘language harmony’, to develop a conducive environment for learning more and more Indian languages apart from mastering one’s own mother tongue, and an attitude and aptitude to love and enjoy the neighbouring language," said UGC.
Plan to increase international outreach
Well, UGC never fails to woo national as well as international students. In 2022, for international students, UGC decided to make the admission process in Indian universities and institutions hectic-free. The commission allowed to create up to 25 percent supernumerary seats for foreign students in UG and PG programs. Also, the UGC withdraw the entrance process for admissions in India for international students.
23,000 free higher education courses
In order to enhance the accessibility of higher education in remote parts of the country and to bridge the digital divide, UGC in 2022 decided to provide 23,000 higher education courses free of cost to the students. These courses include artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and early childhood care programs. This decision of UGC came as a part of the second anniversary of the National Education Policy 2020. “As part of its efforts in making higher education accessible to all, the UGC has been constantly working in making digital resources available to students in English as well as regional languages,” said UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar.
Competency-based questions in class 10, 12 board exams
To make class 10 and 12 board exams more comprehensible, the Ministry of Education has decided to introduce competency-based questions. Introducing the new pattern for the class 10 and 12 board exams, Annapurna Devi, Minister of State for Education said that 40 percent of questions in Class 10 and 30 percent in Class 12 board exams 2023 will be competency-based. This year the board exam will be conducted in a single term, unlike the corona time. "In pursuance of NEP-2020, CBSE has been introducing competency-based questions in the Classes 10 and 12 board examinations to reform the pattern of examinations. These questions comprise multiple formats such as objective type, constructing response type, assertion and reasoning and case-based format," said Annapurna Devi.
