Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20 (UDN): The Odisha Higher Education Department has directed all government and non-government colleges to expand academic choices for students by introducing Multidisciplinary Courses (MDC), Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC), and Value-Added Courses (VAC) as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 curriculum.
The directive, issued on August 19 by Director of Higher Education Kaliprasanna Mohapatra, instructs higher education institutions across the state to ensure the effective implementation of the NEP-2020 academic framework from the current academic session.
Departments must offer at least two courses
According to the department's instructions, every Head of Department must offer at least two courses each from the approved MDC, SEC and VAC course lists, depending on the faculty strength and academic expertise available in the department.
Model syllabi for several courses have already been prepared by the department to help institutions implement the new curriculum.
For multidisciplinary learning, each department must make a minimum of two MDCs available. For example, if a department has developed multiple MDCs, it must offer at least two of them to students.
Students must choose MDCs outside their major
The guidelines make it clear that students cannot select an MDC from their own major subject. Instead, they must choose a multidisciplinary course offered by another department to encourage cross-disciplinary learning.
If a particular department has limited MDC options, students will be allowed to enrol in courses offered by other departments within the institution.
Colleges asked to ensure smooth rollout
Institutions have been instructed to include the approved courses in their institutional course basket before student registration. They have also been asked to make necessary arrangements for faculty deployment, class schedules and academic planning to ensure the smooth conduct of the new courses.
The move is aimed at strengthening the multidisciplinary approach envisioned under NEP 2020 while giving students greater flexibility to build diverse academic and skill-based learning pathways during their undergraduate studies.