Social media, managing personal finance and more: UGC’s revised curriculum of life skills for higher institutions

In the Jeevan Kaushal scheme released in 2019, UGC had added some unique skills such as how to use Google search better, yoga and pranayama and resume writing.

This time, the objective behind having social media and digital literacy is to help develop new-age skills that are now in demand in the job market. “Many careers now require some level of proficiency in social media management, marketing, and engagement. Introducing social media education can help students develop skills relevant to their future professions and enhance their employability,” UGC Chief, M Jagadesh Kumar told indianexpress.com.

As per the revised guidelines, each course carries two credits, and the entire range of courses carries eight credits in all. Additionally, these courses will be deemed equivalent to ‘foundational courses’ and shall be offered across disciplines. Kumar added that the curriculum of FYUP provides enough flexibility to introduce such courses, and these can be offered to the students as ability enhancement courses by assigning credits.

Students are required to comply with the credit requirements of each course whether taken as independent 2-credit courses in individual semesters or in groups of two. Credit loads for these courses cannot exceed 4 in a single semester (i.e., two courses at a time).

These courses shall be taught by faculty members with the right credentials to teach the subject. “Existing teachers can be trained to take these courses and Professor of Practice (PoP) can also be appointed. Already, many universities are appointing PoPs across the country and this concept is picking up,” Kumar explained.

UGC Chief also clarified that this curriculum can see more changes after every three or four years as they aims to keep it in tune with the changing times. “The objective of the revision is to promote achieving excellence by continuously improving and developing competencies across all levels as envisaged in NEP 2020. The revised guidelines are aimed to equip participants with the skills and mindset necessary to succeed both personally and in their academic or work-related endeavors,” he added.