91 universities adopt 'extra-curricular' NCC as elective course
This has been done after a letter from the University Grants Commission to various universities. The UGC's communication was in line with the National Education Policy, which has proposed to remove the hard separation between extra-curricular, co-curricular and curricular activities in schools.
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) won't remain an extra-curricular activity as at least 91 universities across the country have adopted it as General Elective Credit Course (GECC) under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). The move is a result of a letter from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to Vice-Chancellors of all universities on April 15.
The highest number of universities offering NCC as GECC (42) are in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar combined, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (23). These include central university of Jammu, Islamia College of Science and Commerce in Srinagar and St Joseph College in Trichy. Apart from these, Maharaja Sayajirao Gayakwad University in Gujarats Vadodara, Amity University in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior and Kalahandi University in Odisha are also among the institutions offering the NCC as GECC.
The UGC's communication was in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which has proposed to remove the hard separation between extra-curricular, co-curricular and curricular activities in schools.
According to the government, the provision of NEP 2020 will allow harnessing of the full potential of NCC's capacity in youth development and enlarging the student base taking up the training.
The UGC and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had first issued a circular in 2013 for introduction of NCC as an elective subject on a voluntary basis. But out of 10,397 schools and 5,098 colleges, which had NCC then, a handful of institutions responded. Due to the limited response, the UGC again sent a circular in 2016, but it found few takers.
The proposal was mooted by the Directorate General of NCC in New Delhi. The DG, NCC conducted a survey before suggesting effective implementation of the proposal to increase its scope. After the survey and consultation process with universities, the DG suggested encouraging educational institutes to take ownership of NCC training, permitting private universities and colleges to offer NCC and a paradigm shift in its positioning from extra-curricular to mainstream activity.
The NCC syllabus for B and C certificates is designed as per the CBCS of NEP 2020 which grants twenty four credit points covering six semesters out of which a student can accrue four credits in the first two semesters and ten credits in the third and fourth semester and similarly ten credits in the fifth and sixth semester. In the first phase of implementation, NCC as an elective course/subject will be offered only in those colleges which already have NCC senior platoon or company, and to only those students who enroll as NCC cadets.
NCC, the world’s largest voluntary uniformed youth organisation, was raised by Parliamentary Act No XXXI in 1948 with 20,000 cadets. It has grown in stature and size over the years and currently has a sanctioned strength of 15 lakh cadets who undergo basic military like training for two years in the junior wing and three years in the senior divisions.
On August 15, 2020, Prime Minster Narendra Modi announced expansion of NCC to border and coastal areas.