Mumbai colleges draft four-year syllabus ahead of NEP implementation

Following the orders passed by Maharashtra’s Higher Education Minister Chandrakant Patil earlier this month, autonomous colleges are all set to implement the National Education Policy by June 2023. The syllabus for a four-year programme alongside the renewed credit system has become a priority for the colleges that are following the guidelines chalked out by former NEP committees.

“We were told that the course framework cannot exceed the total of 176 credits so we have started designing our courses accordingly. The syllabi of our discipline-specific programme, electives, and course baskets are coming together. We are still waiting for the state to give us the final goahead,” said Dr Rajendra Shinde, Principal of St Xavier’s College.

The autonomous colleges in Mumbai have been encouraged to follow the fouryear undergraduate program (FYUP) under NEP. The FYUP is still subject to the colleges having a master's department for the course in question after which they can offer an honours degree. To offer honours with research, colleges must have at least two research guides in their departments.

“We believe that we will be able to offer students a lot since Mithibai College already has Master’s and PhD departments which will allow us to offer research degrees. We don’t plan on being clustered with other colleges since we already have a multi-faculty system in place,” said Dr Krutika Desai, Principal of SVKM’s Mithibai College.

Other autonomous colleges such as the Ramnarain Ruia College, RA Podar College, and HR College have also begun drafting the four-year programme for those courses that have a master’s department, while syllabi for all FY departments are already ready at Sion’s SIES College. “With our first-year syllabus ready we have also begun churning out curriculum for electives and valueadded courses,” said Dr Uma Shankar, Principal of SIES College.

The FYUP programme shows promise at most autonomous colleges, but many students are still uncertain about pursuing a research degree. “All our degrees that offered a ‘major’ in the third year will be converted to a four-year programme worth 176 credits. Under NEP, colleges must meet certain mandates to offer four years plus research degrees which we don’t plan on doing yet,” said Dr Anagha Tendulkar, Principal of the Sophia College for Women.