UGC formulates National Higher Education Qualification Framework under NEP 2020; Read details
The NHEQF is a comprehensive framework that defines qualifications based on a set of performance criteria.
FollowIn an effort to promote openness and comparability of higher education qualifications at all levels, the University Grants Commission (UGC) developed the "National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF)" under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Professor Manish Joshi, the secretary of the UGC, has addressed a letter to the vice-chancellors of every university and all college principals.
The Secretary UGC stated in the letter that one of the National Higher Education Degrees Framework's (NHEQF) key suggestions were to describe higher education qualifications leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate in terms of teaming outcomes. The University Grants Commission has developed higher education qualifications that are transparent and comparable across all levels, he continued.
What is NHEQF?
Eight levels of schooling are defined by the framework. The first four levels are school levels, whereas the final four are controlled by higher education. The National School Education Qualification Framework (NSEQF) will govern the first four levels, while the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) will govern the latter four levels.
“The NHEQF is an instrument for the development, classification, and recognition of qualifications along a continuum of levels from 4.5 to 8, with levels 1 to 4 in school education,” the document states.
For students who leave their undergraduate programme after the first year (two semesters), Level 4.5 of the NHEQF signifies the Undergraduate Certificate (in the field of learning/discipline).
For those who leave the undergraduate programme after the first two years (4 semesters), level 5 denotes an Undergraduate Diploma (in the field of study/discipline). The highest level 8 is a doctorate with the necessary credits, a thesis, and published work.
The NHEQF is a comprehensive framework that defines qualifications based on a set of performance criteria. It lists the different qualification types, the many levels of the framework, and the anticipated learning results for each qualification type.
Qualification type is the general, disciplinary-free terminology that includes terms like a certificate, diploma, bachelor's degree, master's degree, and PhD. The NHEQF also unifies, with the exception of medical and legal education, the degrees from technical and vocational education and training programmes and professional and technical education programmes.
