By: Vijay Garg
From the colleges which are recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and by the relevant agencies of the Government of India, students pursuing diploma, undergraduate and post graduate level courses can pursue degrees in two subjects simultaneously, from the academic session 2022-23. UGC says that this will improve the skill set of the students and both degrees can be taken simultaneously with online classes for one and offline for the second.
UGC has issued guidelines for this. A university has been given the freedom to adopt it or not. In which subjects two degrees can be taken simultaneously, it will depend on the different institutions. With this, a student will get freedom to take degree in two subjects simultaneously. If one wants, one can take a degree in B.Com and Science simultaneously.
If someone is studying offline degree in both the subjects from the same university, then it has to be seen that their classes are not held at the same time. In such a situation, the student can study one subject in the morning and the other in the evening shift.
The UGC guidelines also allow two institutes to study in this matter. But it will be suitable only if both the institutions are close by. There has been no change in the eligibility conditions and university rules for two simultaneous degrees. UGC says that this initiative has been taken under the new education policy. Its purpose is to hone their skills by giving them the opportunity to study in different disciplines. This will improve the chances of such students getting employment. But there are many questions regarding this.
First, getting a degree in the same subject does not reduce the academic pressure. In such a situation, will a student be able to bear the pressure of degree from two subjects simultaneously? The second question is related to the level of education. Many companies, surveys have revealed that in India even a small number of educated students do not have the ability to get employment. Therefore, with the initiative of two degrees simultaneously, an initiative has to be taken to improve the quality of education. Another problem is the declining interest in higher education. UGC and other government agencies should also take note of this. With this, efforts will have to be intensified for more and more universities of the country to make their place in the international rankings. That is, a comprehensive thinking is needed in this matter, so that the country’s status in higher education is better.
