NEP review panel going all out to ensure 3 crore undergraduates are job-ready: Chairman

The Apprentice Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) permits a student to spend a year or even 18 months of their course gaining live industry experience.

NEW DELHI: The Chairman of the Education Ministry's Review Committee on National Education Policy 2020, Mamidela Jagadesh Kumar, said it was rigorously pushing for students to be 'work-ready ' through tie-ups with companies and employers across the country. The primary focus is to ensure the nearly 3 crore undergraduates of the B.A., B.Sc and B.Com courses across the country gain the requisite skills which make them competent for their future jobs, he said.

Speaking to the TNIE on Thursday, Kumar, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Governors at IIM Calcutta, said, "A pilot project is presently underway involving 30 universities across the country. The All India Survey on National Education 2023-2024 states there are 4.5 crore students in higher education and 76.8% of them are undergraduates. Our focus is on B.A, B.Com and B.Sc students, who constitute the majority. The programme will be extended across all States and Union Territories in the future. The response has been very encouraging from workplaces as well as colleges and universities."

The Apprentice Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) permits a student to spend a year or even 18 months of their undergraduate course gaining live industry experience. "It is optional and done with the best interest of the student in mind as it helps them apply their knowledge to real problems. Students who want to only pursue their degree academically are at liberty to do so."

Kumar, the former Chairman of University Grants Commission, was appointed to this position in January this year. Its members include the Secretary of Higher Education and the Vice Chancellors of multiple universities. Its primary objective is to keep track on the progress made by the State governments in implementing the NEP. "The UGC guidelines allow eligible institutions to offer the AEDP. In fact, I started working on these lines even when I was with the Commission," Kumar added.

"Currently the degrees offered at higher educational institutions are merely transcripts and students do not gain the requisite skills and competency to be work-ready. Newer opportunities are coming and they must be made ready for them," the Committee Chairman said.

Efforts are being taken to ensure the student gets an apprenticeship within their city. "This will ensure they do not have to migrate for the purpose of work and it boosts the local economy too," he added.

Some firms opt to pay the students while some merely offer hands-on training, Kumar said. "If it is a Government Apprenticeship Scheme, the students get financially compensated" he added.

"The Committee also plans to take the assistance of local district magistrates in future as they would have a thorough understanding of a specific area and can offer invaluable guidance," he said.

Bombay University has progressed well on the AEDP front and the committee is holding discussions with Vice-Chancellors in West Bengal presently. "Our focus is Odisha shortly and Guwahati next month," the former JNU Vice-Chancellor added.