Choice Based Credit System: Implications & its Challenges.

Abstract

The aim of Education is the all-around development of the students. The development of their cognitive abilities is important simultaneously with affective and psychomotor development. All educational institutions are emphasizing all-around development. Five Year Plan of India proposed various measures for academic reforms in higher education. Indian higher education institutions need an infusion of new models to keep the curriculum responsive to the changing environment which includes technology adoption, changing industry requirements, changing aspiration of students, and changing expectations of society. CBCS aims to redefine the curriculum for keeping pace with the liberalization and globalization in education. Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) has several unique features as advanced learning opportunities, ability to match students' scholastic and non-scholastic needs and aspirations, inter-institution transferability of students, partial completion of an academic program in the institution of enrolment, and partial completion in a specialized institution, improvement in academic quality and excellence, flexibility for the students to complete the program over an extended period of time, standardization and comparability of educational programs across the globe, etc. The CBCS may fit appropriately into the emerging socio-economic milieu and also respond effectively to the educational and occupational aspirations of future generations. CBCS provides a better facility to the learners like freedom, flexibility, advanced learning opportunities, fulfillment of student's academic needs and aspirations, intra and inter-institutional transferability, a quality education, etc. However, during the implementation of this system in higher education institutions, many challenges need to be addressed to put it on the right track. Therefore, the objective of the present paper is to examine the prospects and challenges of Choice Based Credit System.