Inter-university transfer could soon become a reality for higher education students in the State.
The government has commenced preparatory steps for crucial reforms, including the creation of an academic bank of credits, credit transfer, and enabling lateral entry for dropouts.
A recent high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan resolved to frame the guidelines necessary for inter-university transfers and to give shape to the common credit bank that would be vital to facilitate student mobility.
Priority group
Subsequently, a meeting of Vice-Chancellors convened by Higher Education Minister R. Bindu decided to entrust the State Higher Education Reforms Implementation Cell with preparing the draft rules for such reforms in consultation with the universities. While facilitating inter-university transfers, priority will be given for students who had to discontinue their studies owing to various reasons.
The mass adoption of Kerala State Higher Education Curriculum Framework by State universities from the 2024 academic year onwards is likely to usher in these options for students.
Flagging the lack of provisions that facilitated student mobility in university rules, the Shyam B. Menon-chaired Commission for Reforms in Higher Education had mooted steps to enable inter-university transfer and create a shared bank of credits for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in order to reduce dropout rate.
Students drop out
According to official sources, the lack of such provisions have led to several students dropping out of higher education especially when they are forced to move from one place to another due to other factors. While the seamless movement of students from one university to another has become a norm in several universities in the country and abroad, the State higher education sector has been dogged by considerable rigidity in this regard.
The government also intends to liberalise equivalency norms that have also impeded admissions due to differences in nomenclature of courses offered by universities.
Transfer certificates
Moreover, the possibility of phasing out the need for transfer certificates during admissions is being explored. The Commission for Reforms in Examination in the Universities and Higher Education Institutions in Kerala, chaired by Mahatma Gandhi University Vice Chancellor in-charge C.T. Aravindakumar, had recommending measures to liberalise admission norms.
