Why in News?

• The University Grants Commission has recently announced the implementation of the National Credit Framework (NCrF) for all regulatory organisations and universities in India.

Highlights

• The integration of academic and vocational education is emphasised by the National Education Policy (NEP) and is provided by the NCrF.
• This mechanism ensures equivalence within and between the two education streams.
• The total ‘Notional Learning hours in a year’ for assignment of Credits will be 1200 hours. A minimum of 40 credits may be earned for 1200 hours of learning every year with 20 credits per semester of six months.
• Notional hours refer to the time that the average student would need to attend all classes, study for tests and do assignments and homework.
• The total credits earned by a student during the entire schooling period will be 160 credits.
• By the end of a three-year bachelor’s degree course, the student will have earned 120 credits.When a student completes a Ph.D., the earned credits would be 320.
• Students will also get credits for participating in Olympiads, science quizzes, internships, and taking up jobs while they are studying in college.
• The NCrF has proposed several levels within this framework ranging from level 1 to level 8.
• The credit level that can be attained after completion of school education, i.e., grade 5^th will be level 1, grade 8^th will be level 2, grade 10^th will be level 3, and grade 12^th will be level 4.
• Higher education shall be from credit levels of 4.5 to level 8.
• The NCrF credit levels for school education are upto level 4, while for higher education
• For vocational education & training level 1 to level 8.
• NCrF aims to provide seamless horizontal and vertical mobility between different education streams in India.
• However, the successful implementation of the NCrF may face several challenges such as implementation, standardisation, acceptance and adoption.
• Addressing these challenges will require a collaborative effort from various stakeholders to ensure that the framework is up-to-date, relevant, and effective in addressing the changing needs of the education system in India.