The University Grants Commission has allowed higher educational institutions to admit students twice a year, a move teachers fear would disrupt academic activities.

This month, the higher education regulator notified the UGC (Minimum Standards of Instructions for Grant of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, which provide for biannual admission. “HEIs (higher educational institutions) prepared to handle biannual admissions may admit students twice a year, in July/August and January/February,” said the regulations.

A UGC official said that the National Education Policy provides flexibility for students to pursue higher studies. The international system, particularly in the US, is biannual admission.

The Indian National Teachers’ Congress (Intec) and Academics for Action and Development have opposed the move. Intec chairman Pankaj Garg, a faculty member in Rajdhani College under Delhi University, said: “No serious study or consultation with universities and colleges has preceded this drastic proposal. It may seem an appealing idea on paper that biannual admissions will bring flexibility, but in reality they will seriously destabilise the academic framework of higher education institutions.”

The regulations said a student can pursue two UG programmes simultaneously and two PG courses at the same time, with flexibility in terms of change of discipline, institution and mode of learning.