NEP 2020: Four-Year Undergraduate Programme in Crisis

Context

• The first batch of students who opted for the four-year undergraduate programme under NEP 2020 has now reached its final semester.
• The rollout has been chaotic, with students and faculty struggling with changing guidelines, infrastructure deficits, and funding shortages.
• Structure of the Four-Year UG Programme
  • Expands the traditional three-year degree to four years, aligned with global standards.
  • Focus on flexibility, interdisciplinary learning, research exposure, and skill development.
  • UGC issued its Curriculum and Credit Framework guidelines in December 2022.
• Multiple Entry-Exit Options:
  • 1 year → Certificate
  • 2 years → Diploma
  • 3 years → Bachelor’s Degree
  • 4 years → Bachelor’s Degree with Honours or Honours with Research or Entrepreneurship focus

Key Challenges on the Ground

• Infrastructure Deficit
  • Insufficient laboratories, libraries, and research facilities for undergraduate-level research work.
  • At AMU, over 90% of students stayed for the fourth year, creating immense pressure on faculty and infrastructure.
  • Science programmes lack requisite lab facilities to support undergraduate research at this scale.
  • Undergraduates are denied access to Teen Murti Library, National Archives, and National Museum.
• Faculty Overload and Funding Gap
  • Research supervision is not counted as part of teachers’ working hours, creating an unacknowledged burden.
  • There is no extra funding from UGC for the additional fourth year programme despite increased demands.
  • Faculty continuously appeal for infrastructure support but receive no additional financial allocation.
• Unreasonable Research Expectations
  • Delhi University initially required students to produce Scopus-indexed journal publications and conference presentations but later diluted.
  • Frequent and contradictory changes in guidelines from universities and individual departments have created confusion.
  • Students lack sufficient training and access to proper research materials for meaningful fourth-year work.
• Equity and Access Concerns
  • The Karnataka Education Department abandoned the four-year programme from 2024-25, returning to the three-year degree.
  • The stated reason was that a four-year degree reduces access to undergraduate education for SC, ST, women, and rural students.
  • Critics argue the four-year model has a commercial impetus from private universities seeking an additional year of fees.

Way Forward

• UGC must take structured feedback from faculty and students to adapt guidelines to actual ground realities.
• Colleges should apply for HEFA (Higher Education Financing Agency) loans for infrastructure development before the next academic year.
• Universities must seek dedicated funding from research agencies to support meaningful fourth-year research programmes.
• Research supervision must be formally counted within faculty working hours to ensure sustainable implementation.
• Equity implications must be centrally addressed before expanding the four-year model to more institutions.