CHOISE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM UNDER RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR

SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL PREDESH: A SWOT ANALYSIS

Introduction
After the implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in primary level and
Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyan in secondary level, the Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs on 3rd October 2!3 approved the "ashtriya #chchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
("#SA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for reformin$ the state hi$her ed%cation
system in &ndia' (he Abhiyan d%rin$ !2th )ive *ear +lan aimed at creatin$ , ne-
#niversities by convertin$ a%tonomo%s colle$es.colle$es into a cl%ster of State
%niversities' Apart from this Abhiyan also aimed at settin$ %p ne- colle$es and
%p$radin$ e/istin$ %niversities and colle$es' A financial o%tlay of "s' 22, ,00 crore (o%t
of -hich "s !1, 222 -ill be central share) has been made in the !2th )ive *ear +lan' &n
addition, allocation of "s' !,, crore in the !2th +lan for the e/istin$ scheme S%b3
Mission polytechnics -o%ld also be s%bs%med in "#SA' (h%s the total central share,
incl%din$ the e/istin$ scheme of polytechnics -ill be "s' !,,22 crore d%rin$ the !2th
+lan' Centre3State f%ndin$ -o%ld be in the ratio of 45! for 6orth3Eastern States,
Sikkim, 7amm% and 8ashmir, 9imachal +radesh and #ttarakhand and 10530 for other
States and #nion (erritories'
"#SA is a ne- Centrally Sponsored Scheme spread over t-o plan periods, for
improvin$ access, e:%ity and :%ality in the state hi$her ed%cation system' ;ith over 41
percent of st%dents enrolled in the state hi$her ed%cation system, there is a need for
State colle$es and %niversities to be stren$thened thro%$h strate$ic central f%ndin$ and
implementin$ certain m%ch needed reforms' "#SA also aims to incentivi<e States to
step %p plan investments in hi$her ed%cation' (he important ob=ectives of the scheme
are5
!' &mprovin$ the overall :%ality of e/istin$ state hi$her ed%cational instit%tions by
ens%rin$ conformity to prescribed norms and standards and adoption of
accreditation as a mandatory :%ality ass%rance frame-ork'
2' Correct re$ional imbalances in access to hi$her ed%cation thro%$h hi$h :%ality
instit%tions in r%ral and semi %rban areas as -ell as creatin$ opport%nities for
st%dents from r%ral areas to $et access to better :%ality instit%tions'
3' Settin$ %p of hi$her ed%cation instit%tions in %nserved and %nderserved areas'
>' &mprove e:%ity in hi$her ed%cation by providin$ ade:%ate opport%nities to
socially deprived comm%nities? promote incl%sion of -omen, minorities, SC.S(
and O@Cs as -ell as differently abled persons'
0' Ens%re ade:%ate availability of :%ality fac%lty in all hi$her ed%cational instit%tions
and ens%re capacity b%ildin$ at all levels'
1' Create an enablin$ atmosphere in hi$her ed%cational instit%tions to devote
themselves to research and innovation'
2' &nte$rate skill developments efforts of the $overnment -ith the conventional
hi$her ed%cation system thro%$h optim%m interventions'
All f%ndin$ %nder "#SA -o%ld be norm based and f%t%re $rants -o%ld be performance
based and o%tcome dependent' Commitment by States and instit%tions to certain
academic, administrative and $overnance reforms -ill be a precondition for receivin$
f%ndin$'
RUSA in Himaca! Prad"#
9imachal +radesh is one of the first states in &ndia to implement "ashtriya #chchtar
Shiksha Abhiyan ("#SA)' &n colle$es the Abhiyan has been implemented by takin$ a
ma=or shift from its earlier ann%al system to a semester system' (he shift is not only
from ann%al to semester b%t it incl%des an overall chan$e in c%rric%l%m, eval%ations and
even $radin$ of st%dents' (he ne- system referred as Choice @ased Credit System
(C@CS) incl%des credit based co%rses aimed at providin$ st%dents -ith inter3disciplinary
approach of st%dies' A typical pro$ramme str%ct%re %nder the ne- system has follo-in$
str%ct%re5
(able5 C@CS +ro$ramme Str%ct%re for a typical St%dent
Semester
6o' of
Ma=or
Co%rses
6o of
Minor
Co%rses
Comp%lsory
A& B
9
6o' of time eval%ation of st%dent done
+er Semester
Assi$nment,
+ro=ects etc
9o%se
E/am
Ann%al
E/am
(otal
& 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2,
&& 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2,
&n *ear C & !> 2, !> 01
&&& 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2,
&D 3 2 0 ! 0 2
&n *ear C && !2 2> !2 >,
D 3 2 0 ! 0 2
D& 2
+l%s additional co%rses to
complete !2 credits for the
completion of $rad%ation
33 33 33 33
(he ne- system after vario%s disc%ssions and deliberations is bein$ implemented
since the academic year 2!3 C !>' ;ith one year of e/perience -ith the
implementation of choice based credit system %nder the "ashtriya #chchtar Shiksha
Abhiyan in the paper S;O( analysis of C@CS for the state of 9imachal +radesh has
been made5
Ta$!": SWOT Ana!%#i# o& Coic" Ba#"d Cr"dit S%#t"m 'CBCS( und"r RUSA
STREN)TH
More choice and more fle/ibility
available for the st%dents
&nter3Eisciplinary Approach
@etter, Comprehensive and %p3to3date
c%rric%l%m
Eemands for &nnovative teachin$
methodolo$ies
WEAKNESS
Fack of infrastr%ct%re to implement the ne-
approach holistically
Dacancies of teachin$ cadre especially in s%b3
%rban and r%ral colle$es
Fack of time and reso%rces for research
Complicated +ro$ramme Str%ct%re -ith vario%s
heads s%ch as Ma=or, Minor, Comp%lsory and
Aeneral &nterest B 9obby
&nter3colle$e variation in implementation of
c%rric%l%m
Fack of &nfra3str%ct%re and &( enabled
net-orkin$ across the state
Aaps in technical, academic and research
based competencies across vario%s colle$es
Fack of attention to-ards co3c%rric%lar activities
s%ch as sports, 6CC, 6SS, "overs B "an$ers
activities
More G(eachin$H centric approach and less
time for G"esearchH
E/amination and eval%ation pattern %nder ne-
scheme is blocka$e as colle$es remains b%sy
in cond%ctin$ ho%se e/aminations (t-ice in a
semester) and checkin$ of ans-er scripts
((hrice in a semester)'' &n addition to this
st%dents also b%rdened -ith assi$nment and
vario%s other pro=ect reports of at least 031
s%b=ects in a semester'
OPPORTUNITY
Creation of additional infrastr%ct%re
&( enabled teachin$ practices
M%ltidisciplinary approach
&mproved employability of st%dents
"eforms in #niversity Eatabase
mana$ement of st%dents
More fac%lty recr%itments to improve
the st%dent 5 teacher ratio
)%nd "aisin$
THREAT
(ransparencies and comparability in inter B
intra colle$e eval%ations'
Shift of st%dents from 9imachal +radesh
#niversity to-ards other #niversities s%ch as
&A6O#, or other nei$hborin$ or state based
private %niversities'
Can lead to less interest to-ards colle$e
ed%cation and more to-ards professional
ed%cation
)ac%lty B Staff Eevelopment
&n the absence of st%dent data mana$ement the
system is bo%nd to $et comple/

Aiven the fact that choice based credit system if $lobally accepted and more st%dent
friendly, there is a need to look at the s%pply side of the state colle$es that they can and
have capacity to offer to the st%dents' &n the absence of ade:%ate fac%lty availability
and vario%s other infrastr%ct%res, $eo$raphical and other implementation bottlenecks to
achieve the tr%e spirit of the system still remains at distance'