Soft skills and personality have started playing much bigger role in life than one’s academic performances. The rate at which the world order and sciences are changing, it is observed that many career trajectories in the coming years would require employees to have wide knowledge in diverse fields and subjects. Various studies do suggest that exposure to arts and social sciences results in enhanced creativity, improved critical thinking, higher social and moral awareness, problem-solving, social and circumstantial adaptability, better teamwork and communication skills among students.
India has come up with The National Policy on Education (NEP), which promises many solutions to the rising complexities of education, works and life. A broad-based, multi-disciplinary and holistic under-graduation is one such solution, as it includes flexible curriculum, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. NEP envisages multi-disciplinarity in higher education with an aim to produce well-rounded individuals from universities, helping realize the full potential of India’s demographic dividend. Such qualities are in high demand in the 21st-century economy where no sector of the economy works in a silo.
The NEP aims at de-compartmentalize Indian education and breaking the rigid and artificial barriers between professional vs liberal education. It rightly points out that even in ancient times, good education was described as the knowledge of the 64 kalas or arts. This included knowledge in scientific fields like chemistry and mathematics, vocational fields such as carpentry and clothes-making, professional fields such as medicine and engineering, as well as soft skills such as communication, debate and discussion. Hence, students from humanities’ background are needed to be equipped with the latest technological know-how to suit to the needs and produce greater and holistic results.
Several institutions like IIT Bombay and others have already introduced an interdisciplinary undergraduate course that includes liberal arts, science and engineering in one programme. Others have also started exploring the possibilities of offering multidisciplinary courses. Under multi-disciplinary system, UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options and appropriate certification is provided within this period. For example, a certificate after 1 year, advanced diploma after 2 years, bachelor’s degree after 3 years and bachelor’s with research after 4 years. An Academic Bank of Credit is in the process for digitally storing academic credits earned from different HEIs, so that these can be transferred and counted towards final degree earned. The NEP also envisions setting up of Model public Universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education at par with IITs and IIMs, called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) which aims to attain the highest global standards in quality education. Students being able to use learnings in leading a well balanced life can be achieved by such holistic approach towards studies in youth years. Naturally, this is bound to impart the abilities and skills of lifelong learning, a must have for the VUCA world!
SHARE
