Context: Two eminent scientists working with the Union government have cautioned against AICTE’s decision to give engineering colleges the flexibility to admit students without mathematics and physics in high school and offer them remedial bridge courses to cope in class.

Reason for caution:

The rigour and depth in mathematics and physics comes easier early on and that it would be wiser to study these subjects in high school before seeking admission to BE and B.Tech programmes.

New Rules:

• AICTE, India’s technical education regulator, tweaked the entry-level qualification for undergraduate engineering programmes making students who haven’t studied either physics or mathematics (or both) in Classes 11 and 12 eligible for admission.
• Under the new norms, a candidate is expected to have scored at least 45% in any three subjects out of a list of 14 — physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science, electronics, information technology, biology, informatics practices, biotechnology, technical vocational subject, engineering graphics, business studies, and entrepreneurship.
• Earlier, an engineering aspirant should have passed high school with physics and mathematics as compulsory subjects.

Reason for change in rules:

• The regulator has been defending the changes on the ground that they are in line with the new National Education Policy’s multidisciplinary approach.
• The changes, which are not binding on institutes and colleges, will open a window of opportunity for students from diverse academic backgrounds to pursue engineering, especially branches like textile and biotechnology where, he argued, an advanced knowledge of physics and mathematics is not required and can be fulfilled with bridge courses in college.

Bridge Courses:

• The new guidelines state that institutes and universities can offer bridge courses to help such students with subjects (in this instance, Mathematics) they didn’t have in Classes 11 and 12.
• Universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Drawing, for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve the desired learning outcome of the programme.

New National Education Policy on interdisciplinarity:

• The new NEP talks about doing away with rigid separation between curricular and extracurricular, vocational and academic streams and between arts, humanities, and sciences in school education.
• Students will be given increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study, particularly in secondary school — including subjects in physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills – so that they can design their own paths of study and life plans.
• Holistic development and a wide choice of subjects and courses year to year will be the new distinguishing feature of secondary school education.

ttps://indianexpress.com/article/education/aicte-new-rules-maths-physics-7234939/

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