Karnataka: Honours degree option may be out

The Congress government is likely to put on hold the four-year honours degree under the National Education Policy (NEP).  This plan is in line with the Congress’ decision to scrap the NEP and introduce a state-specific policy.  In a clear indication that the government wants to stick to the conventional three-year undergraduate programme, the higher education department has asked the Board of Studies in all universities to frame the syllabus for the 5th and 6th semesters only. 

The 5th semester is scheduled to start in September. Under the NEP, students can choose to study a fourth year (7th and 8th semesters) to earn an honours degree, making them eligible to enrol for a PhD. 

“Some academicians feel the four-year honours programme is not necessary,” Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar told DH. “We have sent the curriculum for the 5th and 6th semesters now. A decision to restrict the undergraduate courses to three years will be made soon,” he said.  Sudhakar, however, said the government must also think about students willing to pursue an honours course. 

Karnataka State Higher Education Council vice-chairperson Y S Siddegowda said four-year honours courses require qualified guides and a tech-enabled academic atmosphere. “We need to identify colleges that fit the criteria. A college offering research should be different from the one offering a three-year degree,” he said. 

For now, there is no clarity on the honours course. A final decision will be made over the next few months. The first batch of the honours programme (7th semester), according to the academic calendar, is supposed to start in June or July 2024, one official said. 

In August 2021, when the BJP was in power, Karnataka became the first to adopt NEP in higher education. The Congress had criticised the NEP, dubbing it the “Nagpur Education Policy”, meaning it was designed to push the RSS agenda. In its manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly election, Congress promised to scrap the NEP. 

BJP's C N Ashwath Narayan opposed the government's plan. “Honours degree gives domain expertise and reduces postgraduation duration.”