THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The government will set up skill development centres in all colleges in Kerala in the run-up to the transition of all arts and science undergraduate programmes into the four-year mode this year. Higher Education Minister R Bindu announced this on Thursday during the state-level inauguration of an orientation programme on the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) for Plus Two students.
The event, organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), was held at St Mary’s Higher Secondary school in Thiruvananthapuram.
Similar orientation sessions will be held in other districts in the coming days to spread awareness on FYUGP.
Bindu said the foundation segment of FYUGP includes a number of skill development courses and the proposed centres will benefit undergraduate students.
“Lack of skills is the reason for the huge gap between education and vocation. The four-year programme is helpful in effectively bridging that gap,” Bindu said, adding that pursuing skill development courses will not only keep students up to date with the latest requirements in the job market, but the coursework associated with it will also earn them valuable credits.
Bindu said ‘experiential learning’ is the hallmark of FYUGP, which follows a student-centric approach.
Students have the freedom to select courses of their choice not only from their college but also from other institutions as well as via online mode. The academic bank of credits will allow students to store credits earned in a digital repository and transfer or use it later.
On the occasion, Bindu also released the ‘Hand Book on FYUGP’ prepared by KSHEC. Rajan Varughese, member-secretary, KSHEC, presided over the meeting. Fr Nelson Valiaveetil, principal, St Mary’s HSS, Vanaja P S, registrar, KSHEC, and school PTA president Sunil Kumar were present.
Sudhindran K, KSHEC research officer, conducted the orientation session, which was attended by around 200 students, parents and teachers.