UGC Plan For Opening Digital University

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting Union Budget 2022, had announced the setting up of a Digital University. The Minister had announced, “A digital University will be established to provide access to world-class quality universal education with a personalized learning experience to students across the country at their doorstep”.  

The UGC Chairman Jagdesh Kumar, on Monday 9^th May, talking to Prasar Bharati News Services shared the Commission’s plan for the opening of the Digital University.

Jagdesh Kumar said, “The Digital University would be completely only Indian University of national importance, and it would be established by an act of parliament.” The UGC Chairman said that the University would be based on the ‘hub and spoke’ model. The hub according to the chairman would consist of the Administrative and technical department of University. While all the good associate universities providing digital education would comprise the spoke.

He further elaborated, “The Digital University would provide Degree, Diploma programs, certificate programs and postgraduate programs”. UGC Chairman Jagdish Kumar said that such courses which do not require lab facilities like – Financial Courses, Data Science, Data Analytics, Fintech and Law Study would also be available.

The India College regulatory body chief held that the goal of Digital University is to reach a maximum number of students, coming from all backgrounds to skill them and provide them job opportunities.

The former JNU Chancellor also shed light on ‘Modified Regulation for Online education’. He said, “Universities under 100 rankings in NIRF and NAAC Grade of 3.26 and above would be given liberty to open their own online courses without the UGC approval”. Students would be given an option of completing 40% of the college credit program online. For enrollment in online courses, no other criteria except passing of class 12 would be required, he explained.

“Many students due to financial and other family reasons discontinue their education, now such students would have a greater opportunity”, the Chairman said.

The UGC Chairman also spoke on the topic of the Internationalization of Education. He said, “Over three lakh Indian Students go abroad to study each year. The UGC has set up a committee to ensure smooth setting up of Foreign Universities branch in India”. He further explained that there is a need to open branches of Indian universities abroad as a large number of Indian diaspora living abroad are looking for Indian Education.