Centre announces three-year skill-based degree programme for Agniveers

The Ministry of Education (MoE) will launch a special three-year skill-based bachelor's degree programme for Agniveers, which will recognise the skill training received by them during their tenure in defence establishments. The programme, which will be recognised both in India and abroad for employment and education, will be offered by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). 

The government, on Tuesday, June 14, introduced the Agnipath scheme as a short-term service scheme that will recruit soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force annually, to cut the ballooning salary and pension bills. Under the scheme, the Indian youth will be provided with an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as Agniveers, as stated in a report by PTI.

After Agniveers complete their four-year tenure, the scheme provides for retaining 25 per cent of each specific batch for regular service, according to the organisational recruitments and policies announced by the armed forces from time to time. “The degree programme will recognise in-service training received by Agniveers as credits for graduation and will open up opportunities for them to pursue civilian careers of their choice. Under the programme, 50 per cent of the credits required for a graduate degree will come from skill training — both technical and non-technical, received by the Agniveers,” a senior MoE official said.

“The remaining 50 per cent credits will come from a basket of courses that cover a wide variety of subjects like languages, Economics, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Mathematics, Education, Commerce, Tourism, Vocational Studies, Agriculture, ‘Jyotish’ and ability enhancement courses on Environmental Studies and English Communication Skills,” the official added.

The programme is aligned with the norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Credit Framework and the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), as required by the National Education Policy (NEP). The framework of the programme has also been duly recognised by the concerned education regulatory bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) and the UGC.

“It also has provisions for multiple exit points – undergraduate certificate on successful completion of first-year courses, undergraduate diploma on successful completion of first and second-year courses and degree on completion of all the courses in a three-year timeframe,” the official said. Officials added that the Army, Navy and Air Force will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IGNOU for implementation of the scheme.