Confusion prevails as MU yet to issue guidelines on 4-year UG course

Mumbai: With the state government failing to come out with guidelines for the implementation of its four-year undergraduate (UG) courses in universities and colleges, students and principals are both in a welter of confusion vis-à-vis college admissions. Principals said they would need guidelines in the next two days, otherwise it would be difficult to guide students in the new system.

The four-year UG programme, according to educationists, will change the way students decide on their higher education plans, and awareness about its essentials is thus vital. The four-year programme is part of the central government’s New Education Policy 2020.

Dhyaneshwar Doke, principal of Dahanukar College, Vile Parle, said they were still waiting for the final guidelines from the state and Mumbai University to design their courses for the degree programme. Another principal, from a Bandra-based college, added, “Autonomous colleges are free to choose between discipline core (DSC) or the school system. The government said it would issue guidelines but none have been issued although the HSC results have been announced.”

The principal added that there was “zero awareness” among students. “MU has no preparedness to implement NEP 2020 whereas Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University has issued its NEP circular,” he said. “So, there’s no uniformity either.”

A principal from a South Bombay college groused that every time different information was given to colleges about credit distribution. “For example, in the government resolution (GR), minor subjects are not offered in the first semester,” he said. “Now the government is saying that it can change, and the structure is merely illustrative.”

Another principal said, “It is said that the fees will be credit-based. Till now, we have not been given any idea about the credits or how to decide the fees for the first year. On Saturday, we want to issue the application forms, and will need to inform students about the fees. Without guidelines, how will we tell them?”

When questioned about the anomalies, a government official said, “We are working on it, and the final version of the guidelines will be circulated to colleges very soon.”

Meanwhile, most of the city’s well-known colleges will conduct a common entrance test (CET) for admission to self-financed courses this year. “There is always competition in these courses so we decided to conduct a CET for the BMS, BMM, BBA, BSc (IT), BCA, BBI, and BFA courses,” said Ashok Wadia, principal of Jai Hind College. “We will give admission on the basis of a 50 percent score in Class 12 and a 50 percent score in CET.”

Mithibai College and N M College will be considering the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) score this year. Parag Ajgaonkar, principal of NM College, said, “We will give admission to all our degree courses on the basis of 50 percent weightage for CUET and 50 percent for Class 12 marks. Which helps students across the country get equal opportunities to get admission to our institute.”