Mumbai: The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has come up with a proposal of setting up undergraduate board to look into curriculum, exams, degrees etc for colleges. The step will put the colleges away from the purview of the universities. According to NKC Indian universities are unable to function efficiently under the restraints of immense centralization and politicization.
According to this proposal, the colleges will be able to regulate all the administrative affairs for the smooth functioning of the colleges. The proposed undergraduate board will be entrusted with same task as ICSE or CBSE board, which includes all academic and administrative responsibilities that universities fulfill for their colleges, as well as the curriculums, exams, degrees and finance. Further, with the undergraduate board coming into force, varsities can lay more emphasis on higher education and research work.
Several states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Puducherry have responded positively towards this proposal of NCK. Moreover, all these states and Union Territories have already started drafting bills for the same.
In addition, the commission's document mentioned that though the system of affiliation of colleges for undergraduate education would have been appropriate decades ago, it is not adequate now. Moreover, in the urge to meet the needs of all, quality is compromised, and as a result everything is reduced to the lowest common denominator.
