The National Education Policy-NEP 2020 states that pedagogy must evolve to make education more experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner- centre, discussion-based, flexible, and enjoyable. The policy envisions imaginative and flexible curricular structures to enable creative combination of disciplines for study that would offer multiply entry and exit points, thus, removing current prevalent rigid boundaries and creating new possibilities for mode to meet the aspirations of students. It has also led to the emergence of online education programmes in which a student can pursue two academic programmes simultaneously, and which has been examined by the University Grants Commission (UGC) keeping in view the provisions envisaged in the NEP-2020, which emphasises the need to facilitate multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes.

In view of the above, UGC has framed the guidelines for pursuing two academic programmes simultaneously.

According to the notification issued by Prof. Rajnish Jain, Secretary of UGC, Ministry of Education, Government of India vide D.O. No. 1-6/ 2007 (CPP- II) (New) dated 13th April 2022, has directed all the universities and their affiliated colleges/ institutions are instructed to implement the guidelines for the benefit of the students.

A student can pursue two full time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases, class timings for one programme do not overlap with the class timings of the other programme.

It shall be applicable only to the students pursuing academic programmes other than Ph.D. programme.

(Kiso, IA Chozuba)