The Indian education sector is fast changing, with many welcoming reforms. UGC is bringing many reforms to the University education system in India, making it more flexible, student-friendly and quality-oriented. All these reforms aim to make students skilled and job-ready for future job scenarios.
As per the recent All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-2020 survey report, an estimated 38.5 million students are enrolled in various universities across India. Of these, 19.6 million (50.9%) are males, and 18.9 million (49.1%) are Females. An estimated 79.5% of the students are enrolled in Undergraduate level programmes, while only 0.5% of total students are enrolled in PhD programmes. A large number of these students are Government Job aspirants.
Government jobs are amongst the most demanded and fiercely competitive jobs in India. In 2020-2021, as per the 71st Annual Report of UPSC, 25,03,345 applications were received for various examinations. In its Annual Report 2020-2021, SSC stated that 1,00,42,723 candidates competed in various All India Open Competitive Examinations. Apart from UPSC and SSC, other Government Job recruitment exams are Banking, Railways, PSUs, Army, Teaching, etc.
Prepp has studied the various reforms and initiatives launched by the UGC and the Government of India from the point of view of how they will help the Government Job aspirants realise their dreams and secure their careers. The findings are as follows-
Double degrees
Under the Double degree scheme, students can now parallelly pursue two full-time degree programmes, either in offline, hybrid or online mode. It allows the students to diversify their learning and explore career opportunities in various fields.
It also helps Government Jobs aspirants in many ways. Although a majority of Government Job recruitment exams are open to students from all graduation backgrounds, some recruitment posts require specific degrees. Posts like Accountant, Food Safety Officer, Agricultural Officer, Statistician, etc., are only open to students with degrees in the respective field. For example, a B.Sc (Mathematics) student can now simultaneously pursue a B.Com course to take up opportunities in the Accountancy field.
Double degrees, although demanding extra effort, will help the students become eligible for many otherwise out-of-reach posts. This will also help students develop multi-disciplinary expertise.
National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF)
The National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) is prepared under the National Education Policy 2020. The NHEQF has brought flexibility to the University Education System, with initiatives like- Academic Bank of Credits, Multiple entry/exit, Mobility between streams and Institutions, International Equivalence, etc. It will help synchronise the Indian Higher Education system into a common framework.
Students can now optimise and plan their higher education as per their learning needs and goals. Students can take an academic break and complete their degree course within 7 years from the time they have left the course.
The multiple entries and exit scheme will help students pursue Post Graduation courses while preparing for Government Jobs exams. Even if students are not successful in Government Job exams, a PG Degree will help open up new Government Job posts available only to Post-Graduate students. After completing the PG course, students can take the UGC NET exam for academic and PSU jobs or the CSIR UGC NET exam for Scientist jobs.
UGC NET Exam
UGC NET and CSIR UGC NET Exams have significantly pushed research in India. As per NTA, about 12.67 Lakh aspirants registered for UGC NET 2021, out of which 48% were women, which shows the popularity of this exam. Students should prepare for the UGC NET exam with a proper preparation strategy. The career opportunities available after qualifying the UGC NET exam are fast expanding. Many Government and Private Job opportunities are available for UGC-NET-JRF qualified students like-
- Teaching- UGC-NET-JRF qualified students can work as lecturers in Government and Private colleges. Some Government institutes require that students should also have a PhD or be pursuing a PhD; the condition varies from state to state.
- PhD- Government Job opportunities for PhD students have significantly increased over the years. Aspirants can pursue either full-time or part-time PhDs. PhD holders can work as Assistant Professors, Scientists, Senior Research Fellows, etc., in various Government and Private institutes. As per UGC regulations having a PhD would be mandatory to join as Assistant Professors after July 2023.
- Research Assistant/ Research Associate- UGC-NET qualified students can work as Research Assistants in various Government Institutes (like Universities, Research institutes, Ministries, etc.), Privates Institutes (like Universities, Companies, Research consultancies, etc.), Colleges or under Professors. The assistantship is of short duration, as per the project schedule. However, it helps students to get a taste of what research looks like and how it is performed. The experience certificate will help the students in interviews as well.
- Corporate Jobs- Qualifying for the UGC-NET exam can open up many corporate job opportunities for students. For example- if an M.Com student qualifies for UGC-NET-JRF, they can apply to various firms like Deloitte, KPMG, etc.
- PSUs- Various PSUs like IOCL, ONGC, BHEL, GAIL, SAIL, etc., and Ministries recruit UGC-NET qualified students for various posts. The UGC-NET-JRF-qualified students are not required to give the entrance tests for the posts and can directly sit in the Interviews.
SWAYAM Portal
SWAYAM was launched by the Government of India to provide students with quality online certificate courses along with a credit transfer facility. Students can pursue many professional and educational courses at the SWAYAM portal. The courses have video lectures, quizzes, reading material, assignments and exams.
Government Jobs aspirants can benefit immensely from the SWAYAM courses. Students can simultaneously pursue professional courses at SWAYAM along with their preparation. The certificates can help the students in their career development and job interviews. UPSC Civil Services and State Civil Services aspirants can use initiatives like Vidya-Mitra to prepare for Optionals and other subjects. The SWAYAM courses can help Government Job aspirants secure their careers by learning new skills and concepts, whereas through Vidya-Mitra, they can prepare for competitive exams.
4 Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)
A significant step taken for teacher training under the National Education Policy 2020 is the 4-Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). Under ITEP, NCTE is offering a dual-major holistic B.A. B.Ed., B. Sc. B. Ed. and B.Com. B.Ed bachelor’s degree.
As per CBSE, in December 2021, 18,92,276 candidates registered for Paper 1 of the CTET 2021, while 16,62,886 candidates appeared for Paper II of CTET 2021. The figures show the popularity of teaching exams in India.
This programme will help the Government Teaching Job aspirants a lot. Firstly it will help students save one year of academics. Secondly, students don’t have to prepare for B.Ed. Entrance exams separately; instead, they can focus on the recruitment exams. Thirdly, the programme will have better quality educational content with foundation courses in early childhood care and education (ECCE), foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN), etc.
Government Job exams are very competitive where some realise their dreams while others have to struggle a little longer. The reforms mentioned above will help the students plan their education journey and make better career choices. Students will have more flexibility to prepare for Government job exams along with their graduation course. For students who have somehow failed to get selected for Government Jobs, these reforms can be a saviour to somehow rise again and give a fresh start to their careers.
