Prof. (Dr.) Victor Gambhir, President , JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan- 303905
New Education Policy – 2020 is a revolutionary document notified by Ministry of Education, Govt. of India recommending paradigm shift in Indian Education System bringing it at par with the developed Countries aligned with Goal 4 (SDG 4) of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by India in 2015- seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.
The key features of NEP-2020 include granting autonomy to Higher Education Institutions by dismantling affiliating Universities system; recognizing, identifying and fostering the unique capabilities of each student for her/ his holistic development; no hard separation between arts and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, between vocational and academic schemes etc.; multidisciplinary and holistic education across all streams; emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning and learning for exams; creativity and critical thinking to encourage logical decision making; life skills; focus on regular formative assessment for learning, rather than a summative assessment; extensive use of technology; synergy and curriculum across all levels of education; teachers and faculty at the heart of learning process; outstanding research and a rootedness and pride in India.
What JECRC University has already done in this direction?
Curriculum for all UG and PG programs for the students admitted in academic year 2021-22 has been revised in line with NEP-2020 by incorporating modules of communication skills, life skills, professional skills, Indian culture and values in all UG programs and benchmarking the same with Learning Outcome Based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) of UGC.
Outcome Based Education (OBE)/ Competencies Based Curriculum (CBC) have been framed benchmarked with the best Universities in India and Abroad with Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and multiple entry and exit points. The tagline for JECRC University students is, “Design Your Own Degree”.
Virtual Labs, An Initiative of Ministry of Education under the National Mission on Education through ICT have been adopted in most of the curricula leading to online performance of lab experiments during the pandemic period and afterwards maintaining the same quality of learning pre-pandemic.
Evaluation and Assessment/ Examination System has been totally revised for pragmatic assessment incorporating Open Book Examinations, parameterised questions, case methods, critical thinking and problem solving related to real life applications, design thinking and creativity. Rote Learning has been eliminated through scientific testing tools.
JECRC University strongly promotes innovation led research culture supporting even undergraduate student to publish research papers in SCOPUS/ Web of Science indexed Journals and file Patents for their new products and copyrights for new processes.
Innovative learning spaces like Maker’s Space have been established to facilitate the student to learn innovatively through projects and prototypes.
State of the art Incubation Centre has been established to support the students for their entrepreneurial instincts by nurturing their ideas through Accelerator Programs training them for various aspects of entrepreneurship and providing the seed capital and initial infrastructural support till they cross prototyping stage.
A strong Academia Industry Interface has been developed for training and placement of students. JECRC University has collaborated with Multinationals like Microsoft, Google, IBM, Tata Consultancy Services, EC Council, Coursera, Samatrix, Xebia, UI Path, Amazon Web Services (AWS) etc. as knowledge partners offering industry developed courses in the curriculum to ensure high quality placement.
Industry Internships have been made integral part of the curriculum and in last five years 4098 students have successfully completed their internship. Almost half of the interns in the year 2020-21 got paid internship converting into regular placement after completion.
Open and Distance Learning programs have been offered with the approval of UGC to enhance access to quality education to underprivileged section of the society at low cost.
What is the future roadmap of JECRC University?
Departments of Performing Arts (Acting, Modelling, Singing, Dancing and Instrumental Music) shall be established soon to facilitate all students to pursue their hobbies and hone their talents even leading to an alternate profession.
New programs in the field of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, AYUSH and Allied Health Sciences shall be started in coming few years.
Collaboration with top International and Indian Universities shall be further strengthened to enrich the experience of students and faculty.
An ecosystem for International students shall be established in the University attracting them to explore India as destination for enriched professional and vocational education supplemented with Indian culture, ethos and values.
Evaluation and Assessment shall be made on the basis of knowledge gained, skills inculcated, attitude improved and behaviour demonstrated by giving a structural feedback on each assignment and answer sheet
