Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), the lone central university in Arunachal Pradesh, is all set to implement the academic bank credit (ABC) system of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Attending a meeting with UGC Chairman Prof Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar virtually, RGU vice chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha Thursday said that the university will constitute a task force for the ABC, which would be headed by a senior level officer of the university with members drawn from among the officers and faculty members who have the experience of dealing with admission, registration and examination matters.
The VC said that the ABC would be a game changer in transforming Indian education to a great extent. "The inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approach is the need of the hour. With the ABC, RGU will be able to help students learn subjects of their choice and become ‘skill-oriented’ graduates and it will be a new leap in the academic world," the VC added.
The initiative has the potential to internationalise India's higher education system as the regulation offers major promises, such as freedom and flexibility in the university degree-granting system, standardization within the Indian higher education system and robust integration of the Indian higher education system, the VC said.
ABC is a digital storehouse that contains information of the credits earned by individual students throughout their learning journey in academic programmes in higher education.
The UGC expects a positive impact that will be brought via the practice of the ABC in the upcoming years. Higher educational institutions that participate in the scheme would be highly benefited due to the smooth management of credits. RGU Controller of Examinations Bijay Raji said that the academic bank would be accountable for opening, closing and validating the academic accounts of students.
"It will carry out tasks such as credit accumulation, credit verification and credit transfer or credit redemption of students. The courses include online and distance mode courses offered by the government and institutes. The validity of these academic credits earned by students will be up to seven years and students can redeem these credits," he said.