UG students have to do internships, will be awarded credits: New draft UGC guidelines

Students pursuing undergraduate programmes will have to mandatorily do internships and they will be awarded credits for it, according to new draft guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The draft of the 'Guidelines for internship and research internship for undergraduate students' was released on Tuesday in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that emphasises the inclusion of research and internships in the undergraduate (UG) curriculum to provide opportunities to students for active engagement in on-site experiential learning.

"A minimum of two to four credits, out of the required minimum 120/160 credits, of a three-year UG degree/four-year UG degree (Honours)/four-year UG degree (Honours with Research) can be assigned for internship as per the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) and Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programme (CCFUP)," the draft guidelines stated.

They stated that an internship of 60 to 120 hours after the fourth semester will be mandatory for the students enrolled in UG degree programmes.

"Three-year UG degree, four-year UG degree (Honours) and four-year degree (Honours with Research) programme will be operating strictly adhering to NEP-2020, NHEQF and CCFUP provisions," the draft guidelines stated.

"Based on the higher education qualification level descriptors for level-5.5 and level-6 some of the competencies with research orientation should be attained by the students by studying the courses under the Research Ability Enhancement Courses (RAEC) and by undertaking the research internship project," they stated.

For students pursuing a three-year UG degree an internship of 60 to 120 hours duration after the fourth semester will be mandatory, and for those who will opt for a four-year degree a research internship during the eighth semester will be a mandatory component.

While normal internships can be done with government or private organisations, non-government organisations, enterprises, business organisations, local industry, artistes, craftspeople, and similar other entities, research internship experience can be gained by working with faculty, scientists, mentors in higher education institutions (HEIs), research institutions, universities, industrial research labs, nationally and internationally reputed organisations, farmers, and entrepreneurs, the guidelines stated.

"Each HEI should have a nodal officer who is responsible for developing need and demand-led verticals as well as expectations from each vertical in undergraduate programmes…to define verticals, HEIs must undertake a survey in the local market to understand the needs of companies and the expectations of student," the draft guidelines stated.

The commission has also suggested various vertices including trade and agriculture, economy and banking financial, logistics, information technology, art, design and music, healthcare and life science, sports, wellness and physical education, and environment, among others.

"The interns will be evaluated by the research internship supervisor based on their efforts and research output, or the interns will be evaluated through seminar presentation or viva-voce at the HEI," the draft guidelines stated.