Agniveers’ in-service training will be recognised by the Ministry of Education as credit toward graduation

The Union Cabinet approved the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme for Indian youths to serve in the Armed Forces on June 14, and those who are selected would be known as Agniveers.

‘Agnipath’ is a four-year programme that allows patriotic and motivated young people to serve in the Armed Forces. The ‘Agnipath’ scheme was created to give the Armed Forces a more youthful appearance. On Wednesday, the Education Ministry announced the commencement of a three-year skill-based bachelor’s degree programme for serving defence personnel, which will acknowledge the vocational training gained by Agniveers under the ‘Agnipath’ scheme during their time in the defence establishments.

“In order to improve the future career prospects of our Agniveers and equip them for various job roles in the civilian sector, the Ministry of Education is to launch a special, three-year skill-based bachelor degree programme for serving defence personnel that will recognise the skill training they received during their tenure in the defence establishments,” the Education Ministry said in a statement.

“Under this programme, which was designed by IGNOU and will be implemented by them, 50% of the credits required for a graduate degree will come from the Agniveer’s skill training – both technical and non-technical – and the remaining 50% will come from a basket of courses that cover a wide range of subjects such as languages, Economics, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Mathematics, Education, Commerce, Tourism, Vocational Studies, Agriculture and Jyotish, as also Ability Enhancement Courses on Environmental Studies and Communication Skills in English,” the Ministry said.

“This programme is compliant with UGC regulations and the National Credit Framework/National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) as stipulated under the National Education Policy 2020,” the Education Ministry added. It also allows for various departure points: an undergraduate certificate after successfully completing the first year of courses, an undergraduate diploma after successfully completing the first and second years of studies, and a degree after successfully completing all three years of courses.

The program’s framework has been approved by the pertinent regulatory organisations, including the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), and the University Grants Commission (UGC). IGNOU will award the degree in accordance with UGC nomenclature (BA, B.Com, BA (vocational); BA (Tourism Management), and it will be recognised for work and education in India and abroad. For the scheme’s execution, the Army, Navy, and Air Force would sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with IGNOU.

Source: ANI