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Chandigarh: PEC to roll out NEP-2020 from upcoming session
The senate approved the implementation of the NEP 2020 by endorsing the curriculum scheme for minor degree programmes, encompassing 18 credits, in UG courses
Punjab Engineering College (PEC) senate on Tuesday approved the implementation of a few provisions of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from 2024-25 session onwards.
The decision was taken in the 105th Senate meeting of PEC. The senate approved the implementation of the NEP 2020 by endorsing the curriculum scheme for minor degree programmes, encompassing 18 credits, in UG courses.
Speaking about this decision, PEC director Baldev Setia said the varsity won’t be able to implement all provisions of NEP, but a resolution had been passed to adopt it for now.
The Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) will not be implemented in PEC for now, he added.
As per the NEP-2020, ABC has been envisaged to facilitate the academic mobility of the students with the freedom to study across HEIs in the country with an appropriate “credit transfer” mechanism across programmes.
Other provisions of NEP like minor and major degrees and honours degrees are already being practised in engineering courses, he said. Setia added PEC will also explore the idea of multiple entry and exit points for the UG degrees as per the University Grants Commission (UGC), in which the student can finish the degree in seven years and by finishing one year or two years of a four-year course the student can earn a certificate and a diploma in the subject respectively.
Panjab University (PU) also adopted NEP for the universities and colleges in the city in 2023, while NEP will now be implemented for the affiliated colleges of the region from the 2024-25 session.
Three new courses announced for academic year 2024-25
The senate also announced the commencement of three new programmes from the academic year 2024-25.
The courses include a BTech in Mathematics and Computing, an MBA programme called Master’s in Business and Data Analytics (MBDA) and an MTech in quantum materials and technology.
Speaking about the BTech course, Setia said this course had also been introduced in various Indian Institutes of Technology, including IIT Delhi and National Institutes of Technology. There was great demand for this course as mathematics by itself is theoretical but it greatly benefits the fundamentals of computing when both are studied together, he added.
Informing about the first MBA programme offered by the varsity, which is Master’s in Business and Data Analytics (MBDA), Setia said, “For the varsity’s first MBA programme we ruled out more conventional courses like business and finance and instead opted for business analytics and data analytics, demand for which has grown in recent years.” This course will combine technology with business studies.
The varsity will also start MTech in quantum materials and technology. This will work on quantum energies and quantum computing, which Setia said the Prime Minister has also touted as an upcoming field.
