Over 2 Crore Students Registered in Academic Bank of Credit So Far: UGC Chairman

The University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said that over 2 crore students across the country have registered for the commission’s Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). He was addressing the western zone vice chancellor’s conference at the Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda, Gujarat on October 26 when he announced the same. The UGC recorded one crore registrations on the ABC platform by June and from this year onwards, a unique ABC ID has been made compulsory for all students to get admission to universities/institutions across the country.

The ABC portal promotes curriculum framework flexibility and interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary academic mobility of students among Indian higher educational institutes (HEls) through a proper credit transfer method. It is a digital repository of credit records of each student that allows students to seamlessly access their scores and facilitate the transition from a university or a college to other institutions.

Kumar while addressing the vice-chancellors said, “In the last couple of years, UGC has introduced several reforms. Today, more than 2 crore students have registered on the Academic Bank of Credit platform but it is not enough as it is important that all the students are registered on the ABC platform and you upload all the credentials and credits certificates of the students on the Academic Bank of Credit platform.”

The UGC chairman also spoke on the progress made in implementing reforms introduced by the commission. He stated that ABC was one of the provisions of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). It will allow students of UG and PG degree courses to exit the course and enter within a specified period. It also seeks to make it possible for all students to open an academic bank account with ABC to commute credits to award any degree, diploma, or certificate.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was also present at the inaugural session of the conference. He lauded the effort of the western zone, especially Gujarat, in leading the implementation process of NEP 2020. Congratulating the Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and MS University on organising the western zone vice chancellor’s conference, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that more than 65 lakh students that study in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and other western states are under the central government educational institutions. He also stated that students in this zone constitute 15 percent of the total 4 crore students that will benefit from NEP.

The minister also launched the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the implementation of NEP 2020 at the event. The SOP booklet will be a guiding document for higher educational institutions to implement the reforms suggested under the NEP in the next 10 years. “I congratulate the Gujarat Government for creating a roadmap for the 10-year plan to implement NEP 2020 in the state,” Pradhan said.