Why HEIs must engage in the ABC of implementation

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has called for immediate implementation of the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) across higher educational institutions, urging them to register on the ABC platform (www.abc.gov.in). They would also have to upload data of student credits obtained during or after the academic year 2021-22, sensitise the students about ABC and handhold them to open the ABC account on the portal. Even as the initiative enhances the reach of the ABC programme that will have the right to open, close and validate accounts apart from ensuring transfer and redemption of credits, the HEIs for their part will have to overcome the challenges of implementation and help their students create their learning trajectories.

Diverse choices

The ball was set rolling when the UGC, in an earlier gazette notification dated July 28, 2021, informed all HEIs about the setting up of the credit bank. “The notification in 2021 provided full details about the method of operation. Subsequently, central universities were asked to register for ABC in DigiLocker which is the nodal agency for implementing ABC. In the current notification, the UGC has urged all participating universities to open digital accounts of all students who are pursuing MOOCs in DigiLocker from the 2021 academic session onwards, which in a sense, is an extension of the earlier decision,” says RP Tiwari, vice-chancellor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, refuting the suddenness of the initiative.
He adds further, “For universities offering online courses, it would be easy to implement ABC and make a seamless transition. We need to democratise education for empowering youth to have learning experiences from a wider range of courses and institutions. ABC will serve this purpose. Moreover, it will provide a larger time window for the students to complete their programmes.”

Vice-chancellor, University of Delhi (DU), Yogesh Singh, is also keen to look at the upside. “With connectivity issues still plaguing the country’s remote corners, some institutions may find it difficult to register on the portal or even get their students to open their accounts. But once the initial hiccups subside, the initiative will be a boon to the students simply because ABC is a reality that can no longer be ignored.”

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As for HEIs uploading students’ credits, Singh says, many universities such as DU, already have a credit-based system in place, hence uploading details about the credits for individual courses will not be a challenge. “The notification will provide transparency to our students and make them more employable. Earlier, companies used to ask the HEIs to verify the degrees of students, but with the ABC portal, they will now have access to the degrees/diplomas/ certificates earned by the students, which will help make the process more streamlined. If everything goes as per plan, we aim to start the ABC implementation from 2022-23 academic year.”


Flexible norms


“Since the registration criteria for HEIs have been relatively relaxed on the portal, it will entitle all HEIs to come on board for the ABC facility. These institutions will however have to train their staff in the examination and evaluation sections for the smooth implementation of ABC. The onus is also on them to uphold quality, and prevent the dilution of the core degree programmes,” says VK Jain, vice-chancellor, Tezpur University, Assam, explaining that the enrolling institutions will have the right to recognise both the academic institutions and online educational platforms from which their students seek credits for career advancement. The creation of a separate ABC ID for each student will give them a clear idea about the credits earned/redeemed and help them make entries and exits even across institutions, Jain adds.