E-Paper
IIIT-A to start 8-yr flexible academic programme from 2022-23
The flexible academic programme will be in accordance with the provisions of the National Education Policy-2020
Indian Institute of Information Technology- Allahabad (IIIT-A) in Prayagraj is gearing up to start a unique eight-year post-schooling to PhD flexible academic programme (FAP) on its campus from 2022-23 session in accordance with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020.
It will allow a student to enrol in the course on the basis of single entrance exam and earn graduation, post-graduation and PhD degree from the institute, said IIIT-A officials.
The course was being designed to allow multiple exits with provisions of re-entry (from the point of exit in future), along with multi-disciplinary, multi-mode, multi-lingual and lateral entry features providing students an opportunity to undertake specialisations in electronics and communications engineering (ECE), business administration, mathematics, physics and information technology, they added.
Students will also have the option to study every semester from different institutes as per their convenience. For this, the institute led by IIIT-A director prof P Nagabhushan was preparing to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with various technical and educational institutions, they said.
“Admission to this course is proposed to be started from 2022-23 session. We propose to undertake admissions to this course through JEE Mains/ Advanced. Once the entire mechanism is finalised, the course proposal would be sent to the union education ministry for final approval,” said prof Neetesh Purohit, senior faculty member of the IIIT-A’s ECE department who has been entrusted with the responsibility of starting this new course by the Institute Senate.
Conditional on fulfilment of credit requirements, a student of the course will be eligible for a semi-skilled certification after first year, skilled certification after second year, a diploma after three years, a bachelor’s degree after four years, a PG diploma after five years, a master’s degree after six years a masters with research certificate after seven years and a PhD after eight years.
The FAP concept was presented in the webinars organised for directors and teachers of IIITs on September 5, and of NITs on September 17 and of IITs on September 20 last year. The FAP was modified as per the responses received. The FAP concept was further solidified by IIIT-A through a panel discussion of renowned experts on February 9, 2021, and getting it reviewed by a committee of experts.
IIIT-A, Prayagraj, drafted the FAP ordinance specifying the credit requirements for students to drop out mid-way with certificate, diploma, USG/PG degree etc and its senate appreciated the concept. The senate authorised prof Neetesh Purohit to take it forward on June 7, 2021. Request letters for joining the FAP consortium was issued on June 27, 2021 to all institutes of national importance, said prof Purohit who also visited Delhi on July 21-22, 2021.
“Here larger discussions were held with various office bearers of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Accordingly, a concept of creating three FAP bubbles: All Institutes of national importance (IITs, IIITs and NITs); all AICTE governed institutes (State Technical universities, deemed technical universities etc) and all non-technical universities, emerged. These FAPs will have three independent consortiums but a few interconnecting pathways would soon be defined,” prof Purohit said.
On August 8, 2021, an online brainstorming was also conducted between senior representatives of IIIT-A, IIT-Bhubaneswar, IIIT-Pune, IIIT-Bhagalpur, IIT-Kharagpur, MNNIT, NIT-Patna. On August 23, 2021, the senate of NIT-Patna formally approved joining FAP in a meeting.
“Now a national seminar is also being organised at IIIT-A December 3-4 regarding this course in which senior officials of AICTE, AIU, NITI Aayog and union ministry of education will be involved along with educationists from renowned IITs, NITs, IIITs, technical universities and central universities of the country,” prof Purohit said.
