Adding Credit to the Education System Understanding the New National Credit Framework

Fri Apr 19, 2024

Have you ever wondered why a skilled electrician or plumber is considered less educated than a student of Class 8? Or why an engineer with a degree, most probably will not be able to change a fuse?

However much we may talk about the dignity of labour, the Indian education system does not equate vocational education or the possession of a skill or craftsmanship with general education.

All this is going to change with the implementation of the National Credit Framework (NCrF).

In this article, I would like to present an overview of the NCrF in order to helps teachers and parents understand the direction in which the new education policy (NEP 2020) envisages how school and higher education will go forward.

Covered in this Article

The Concept of Credits
The Present Situation regarding Credits in Education
What does the NCrF want to achieve?
The Future of Education if we have a robust NCrF
What has already been agreed upon by the NCrF
How will a Student earn Credit Points under the NCrF?
The Way Ahead

The NCrF starts on a Pilot basis

The Ministry of Education will be introducing the NCrF in selected CBSE schools on a Pilot basis from the academic year 2024-25.

The draft of the document was submitted in September 2022 by a High Level Committee chaired by Dr.S.N. Kalsi - Chairman, National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).

The framework has been jointly developed by members representing ALL the mediums of education in India.

The Concept of Credits

To understand what the NCrF wants to achieve, one must first understand the concept of Credits.

As an analogy, learning credits can be compared to money. Just like money, one unit of credit denotes a certain value which can be earned, deposited and used as a medium of tranfer/ exchange. And just like money, it functions best within a system akin to a banking system which can facilate such deposits and withdrawals.

Thus a ‘Credit’ is a unit of learning which documents that the learner has put in a certain number of hours and within those hours, has achieved certain predetermined competencies and outcomes.

Also, just like money, the credit system will work only if the entire nation accepts a single system so that these credits can be equated and provide seamless exchange.

Let us see where we stand in this aspect today

The Present Situation regarding Credits in Education

School Education - At present there is no credit system in school education. However, the National Institute for Open Schooling (NIOS) does follow a credit system but it is a closed system such that it can hold meaning only within the NIOS ecosystem.
Higher Education - The higher education does use a credit system but at this point there are 2-3 different systems and frameworks in place. These are:

For General Education - The Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). Mandated by the UGC, this is followed by most universities and colleges in India.
For Technical or ocational Education -The Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational Advancement of Youth (SAMVAY) is mandated by the AICTE and has been in place since 2014.
For Skill based Education - The National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) is regulatory competency based skill framework which helps to Creditise any skill based course apart from the ones covered by UGC and AICTE.
For Education in Specific Institutions - Many institutes of higher education such as the IITs and IIMs have their own Credit systems which may follow but is not restricted to the guidelines by the UGC or the AICTE.

To summarise -There is NO Credit system in schools today while higher education uses three or more credit systems all of which work only within its own ecosystem.

What does the NCrF want to Achieve?

The NCrF has a three-fold objective of operationalising and finalising:

ASSIGNING of Credits - This will be done through defining and assigning credits to ALL educational processes at the school level, vocational level and the higher education level including open and distance learning.

STORAGE & ACCUMULATION of Credits - This is to be operationalised through the setting up of an Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). Every person who enters the academic system will have a unique ID and all credits will be stored and accumulated there.

TRANSFER & REDEMPTION of Credits - The credits accumulated by a student can, if the need arise be transferred or redeemed. The scope for transfer of credits will require the establishing of equivalence between vocational education and general education. More ideas are being sought and this is still a work in progress.

How exactly the credits can be redeemed is still not clear at this point. As per the policy document, it will be in accordance with the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) guidelines to be given by the UGC.

The Future of Education if we have a robust NCrF

Establishing equivalence between general and vocational education - As per NEP 2020 as well as the NCrF, equivalence is to be established between theory and skills which is right now provided either separately or not at all. At present, students in general education are not formally exposed to the relevant skills while students with skills (learnt through family trade or experience) do not possess much theory-based education. Establishing equivalence between the two types of education via a robust NCrF will lead to

Removal of hard separation between general and vocational education

Movement between general and vocational education

Facilitating multiple entry and exits into education - One of the ways this will be done is by creating Academic Bands and Levels for each year of education. The Academic Band corresponds to a number of years of schooling. The NCrF will try and establish Credit Points to be accumulated by a student for easy entry at different educational levels.

Recognition of prior learning - This elaborates the previous point that once a particular Level is reached by a student, that learning is accumulated in the form of credit points in the child’s Academic Bank. The NCrF has tried to creditise each Class so that NO learning goes to was
Integration of general education, skilling and work experience - With a robust NCrF, there is immense scope for integration & recognition of skills acquired as well as work experience gained in addition to the general education one has.
Acceleration for Gifted Students - Many students add certificates and skills while they are in school. The child could have gained a certificate in music, dance or art but at present, these added learnings are not incorporated into the student’s academic record. With the NCrF, these certificates could be added to the child’s credit and help in credit acceleration.

What has already been agreed upon by the NCrF

Credits to be assigned for Academic Education, Vocational & Skill Education and for Acquiring Relevant Experience or Proficiency - This definition of the types of learning which can be creditised sets the base for integrating general and skill based learning. It also takes into account the importance that experience in the field (which has been overlooked until now). In today's scenario, students with work experience pursuing a professional course, are given no academic advantage over their classmates who might have joined the same course right after their graduation. With the NCrF, the work experience of such students will lead to additional Credits.
Number of Credits and Total Learning Hours per year for Academic & Vocational Education - The average hours of study (called notional hours as it includes teaching, assessments, assignments etc.) is set at 1200 hours per year equalling 40 Credits. The number of hours per year starts at 800 hours at the pre-primary level, increases to 1000 hours for Clasess 3 to 5 and is set at 1200 hours from Class 6 right up to the Ph.D in general education courses. This assignment of 1200 notional learning hours equalling 40 Credits also holds true for Vocational and Skill based courses. Thus, on an average, 30 notional learning hours (1200/40) will be counted as one Credit.
Credit/ Academic Levels - The NCrF has assigned Levels 1-8 for all education in India. This has been done separately for General Education and Vocational and Skill Based Education. These credits are assigned even in decimal points. Class 5 corresponds to Level 1 while the Ph.D corresponds to Level 8. Similarly, Levels 1-8 have also been assigned to Vocational and Skill based courses. Credits have also been finalised for integrating Professional Experience and Proficiency and it takes into account the number of years of work experience and the proficiency level gained.
Establishing Learning Outcomes for School Education - The National Curriculum Frameworks 2023 for both Foundational Education as well as School Education has laid down the expected learning outcomes expected for each student at each level. This will help set up the Creditisation process for schools.

How will a Student Earn Credit Points under the NCrF?

A student's Credit Points is what will be accumulated and stored in the Academic Bank. Let's see how a student will learn Credit Points.

A student's Credit Points is calculated by multiplying the Credits Earned during the year with the Credit Level for that academic year.

Credit Points (CP) = Credits Earned during the Year x Credit Level

Let's start with the Notional Learning Hours and Credits per Year for the school level

Let's add to this the Credit Levels as designed by the NCrF. Please note that for ease of understanding, I am only describing the Credit Levels for school education.

Calculation of Credit Points

Example 1 - A student of Class 5 (Credit Level = 1) completes 1000 notional hours of learning and earns 33 Credits, then the Credit Points earned is Credits Earned x Credit Level or 33x1 = 33 Credit Points.
Example 2 - A student of Class 6 (Credit Level = 1.33) completes 1200 notional hours of learning and earns 40 Credits, then the Credit Points earned is Credits Earned x Credit Level or 40x1.33 = 53 Credit Points.

Note: Decimal Points are rounded off to the nearest decimal.

The way ahead - What needs to be worked upon and decided?

Decidedly, the NCrF has a long way to go before it becomes a reality. Some of the topics of immediate concern, due to which the pilot academic year becomes so important are as follows:

Linking Assessment and Learning - This is of paramount significance for school education right now as there exists no credit system for schools. Since assessment is a prerequisite for earning credits, a uniform bandwidth of assessment for each level needs to be established.
Integrating vocational education and training/ skilling into school and higher education - For credits to be assigned and transferred seamlessly across levels and streams of education, the NCrF has to set up a broad framework which incorporates all the levels and types of education in the country. This includes open and distance education as well as education in the vernacular medium.
Operationalisation of the Academic Credit Bank (ABC) - The Credit system, to truly work, requires a well set up ABC. This requires the integration of technology and intent. It also requires answers to questions such as

Does a student have to complete an Academic Level in order to earn the Credit?
If a student leaves after six months of learning (20 Credits against 40 Credits), will the Credit Points of that year be counted?
How does the NCrF propose to Creditise informal learning or such learning which is not attained through Credit based learning?

Such questions can only be answered when the Academic Bank of Credits has been set up and operationalised.

Conclusion

The NCrF has set the ball rolling and a beginning has been made to create uniformity in the structure of education across the country. It is in this regard that the pilot project in selected CBSE schools becomes important as this will pave the way for NCrF's implementation strategies in future.

This article is another step in my attempt to simplify the NEP 2020 and resulting policy changes along with its implications in education and schooling. Do post your comments and suggestions for topics in the Comments section.

Dr. Swasti Dhar
Teacher-educator, Author & CTET Mentor