With the deadline for submitting feedback to the University Grants Commission’s Draft National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) ending on Monday, academic stakeholders in Tamil Nadu are clueless about the DMK government’s position on the crucial policy document. The State has not publicly pronounced its stand on the draft formulated as per the mandate of the National Education Policy (NEP). The draft has proposed overhauling changes to the higher education structure, distinctly deviating from the ‘10 +2 + 3’ pattern of education.
Curiously, in Tamil Nadu, where education policies, particularly those evolved nationally, have triggered proactive political participation, no major regional party has reacted publicly to the draft.
The draft has proposed “entry requirements” for admission to undergraduate degree courses. While the basic requirement is a Grade 12 or equivalent certificate, it says: “Admission to the first year of the undergraduate programme will be open to those who have met the ‘ entrance requirements’ (emphasis added), including specified levels of attainment, in the programme admission regulations.” In the absence of a clear definition, academics fear that an entrance test would be mandatory for all college admissions.
