The National Credit Framework (NCrF, 2022) is a major initiative for reforming education and increasing the GER as envisioned in the National Education Policy. It is a comprehensive framework encompassing elementary, school, higher, and vocational education, integrating learning on all dimensions, i.e., academics, vocational skills, and experiential learning.
It builds upon the Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth (SAMVAY, 2018) and it will encompass the National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF, 2022), National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF, 2021) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF, under development) for School Education.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) frameworks
Outcome-based Education (OBE) and Creditisation are two major reforms in Indian higher education in the last decade. The OBE movement started in Europe in the 1980s and emerged as the central philosophy of various qualifications as well as CAT frameworks. At the core of OBE are Learning outcomes that specify learners’ knowledge, skills, perspectives, and attitudes on the completion of a learning process.
Credit systems describe an education programme by assigning credits to its components. The system of academic credits was invented at Harvard University in 1886 along with the flexibility of ‘electives’.Academic credits quantify learning outcomes that are subject to reliable assessment. Credits are accumulated towards a qualification or transferred to other qualifications. Somewhat like the currency for economic exchange and wealth accumulation and transfer, credit systems enable the completion of qualifications by accumulation and transfer of academic credits in different institutions, learning contexts (education and training institution, work, or voluntary activities), systems (vocational or academic) or over a longer period of time.
NCrF facilitates the assignment, accumulation, storage, transfer, and redemption of credits. It opens the options of multiple entry, multiple exit, re-entry, and RPL. In NCrF, the Credit levels to be assigned, are based on the cumulative numbers of years of learning with assessment. The first 13 credit levels, 0.1 to 4, are for preschool and school education, with levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 representing 5th, 8th, 10th, and 12th standards respectively. Levels 4.5, 5, 5.5, and 6 represent UG certificate, UG diploma, Bachelor’s, and Bachelor’s (Hons./Research)/B.Tech. respectively. Levels 6 to 7 are for PG, and level 8 is for PhD.
For vocational education and training, there are 13 levels from 1 to 8. Clarification is required to accommodate long UG degrees of more than four years’ duration like architecture, medicine, law, etc., in the NCrF. These credit levels are not the same as NHEQF/NSQF qualification levels, e.g., NHEQF levels 5, 7, and 10 represent UG certificate, Bachelor’s, and Ph.D. respectively. This difference is likely to hinder an integrated understanding of different frameworks.
NCrF prescribes 40 credits per academic year, 5th class onwards, for all kinds of education. While the proposed workload of 30 hours per credit in NCrF is equal to ECTS, the required credits and workload per academic year are 40 and 1200 hours, as compared to 60 and 1500-1800 hours in ECTS respectively. Hence, more clarification is required for international benchmarking. Specific programs can set higher expectations. Students can also pursue dual degrees by taking extra credits, a model already being practised by BITS for several decades.
Promoting Multidisciplinary Education
Different streams and disciplines will use the same framework for the assignment of credits and credit levels. Hence, it helps to promote multidisciplinary education and empowers students to choose their courses, learning trajectories, and programmes, and make mid-way course corrections. All credits earned by a student from single or multiple institutes through a combination of various modes of education-in-person, open and distance learning, online education, or hybrid/blended modes, will be accumulated in the Academic Bank of Credit and can be used for completing qualifications. NCrF supports accelerated progression. Relevant work experience after undergoing a particular education shall also be creditised.
It promises seamless integration of vocational and academic education by enabling eligibility in terms of accumulated credit points at certain credit levels, e.g., after completing a relevant three-year B.Voc. or one-year M.Voc., students will be able to join the fourth year of B.Tech., or second year of M.Tech. program respectively.
However, this still requires some work as the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS, 2015) and NSQF prescribe different credit requirements of 120/140 and 180 credits respectively for three-year general education bachelor’s and B.Voc. programmes.
Way Forward
NCrF is a major step forward for reforming India’s education system. For students, it promises benefits like (i) flexibility of completing their qualifications by blending courses from different streams, disciplines, institutes, and modes, and (ii) defining their learning path and engaging in life-long learning using options of multiple entry, multiple exit, re-entry, mobility across general, vocational and professional education, accelerated progression, dual degrees, RPL, creditisation of work experience, etc. This will enhance learner centricity and student diversity, thereby strengthening their creative and innovative thinking. NCrF will promote collaboration among institutes and encourage them to develop innovative programs, e.g., interdisciplinary degrees, micro-credentials, joint degrees, dual degrees, etc.
—The author, Dr.Sanjay Goel, is Director, Institute of Engineering & Technology, JK Laksmipat University, Jaipur. The views expressed are personal.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
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