EXPLAINER: What is National Credit Framework?

NEW DELHI: Launched by UGC, it is a recognition that a learner has completed a prior course of learning, corresponding to a qualification at a given level

What is it?

• A meta-framework — comprising National School Education Qualification Framework, National Higher Education Qualification Framework, National Skills Qualification Framework — to integrate credits
• Now the study of Vedas, Puranas and other ancient Indian texts can help students get extra credits
• Performing arts (dance, Indian classical music), games and sports (Olympics, federation games, Asian Games, etc.), master craftsmen of heritage and traditional skills, social work with high impact or in priority areas, and more will get student credits in school and higher education
• The Indian knowledge system has also been added to the list of fields eligible for creditisation, under the special achievers’ category
• Also lists 18 major vidyas, or theoretical disciplines, and 64 kalas, applied sciences, or vocational disciplines and crafts for creditisation

Why NCrF?

• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 backs the integration of general academic education and vocational and skill education, providing seamless horizontal and vertical mobility between the two streams for lifelong learning
• Provides this mechanism while ensuring equivalence within and between these two education streams 

How do students store and redeem credits?

• Credits — earned by completing academic education, undergoing vocational education, training/skill programme, and relevant experiential learning — accumulated by each student shall be stored in the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) technology platform
• Even experiential learning can be credited and used for acquiring qualifications

What is credit & how do students earn credits?

• The recognition that a learner has completed a prior course of learning, corresponding to a qualification at a given level
• One credit corresponds to 30 notional learning hours in a year of two semesters
• Every semester, a student is required to earn a minimum of 20 credits
• A student earns 40 credits in one year corresponding to 1,200 notional learning hours
• Higher education levels start from Level 4.5 and end at Level 8
• A three-year bachelor’s degree will have levels 4.5, 5, and 5.5 corresponding to the first year, second year, and third year
• Every year, a student has to earn 40 credits to move to the next level, and by the end of a three-year bachelor’s degree, the student will have earned 120 credits
• Level 6 corresponds to the four-year bachelor’s degree
• Level 6.5 corresponds to a two-year Master’s degree for those with a three-year bachelor’s degree,
• Level 7 corresponds to a two-year master’s degree for those with a four-year undergraduate engineering degree
• A Ph.D. degree is at level 8. When a student completes a Ph.D., the earned credits would be 8x40= 320
• Vocational and skills education is also spread from level 4.5 to level 8