Traditional degrees are degrees that focused on maintaining a certain pedigree. In India, the convention of traditional degrees can be traced to the Gurukul system of education and Colonial Education as well. Both Gurukul System and the Colonial System of education were teacher centric where the teacher was the pillar of knowledge and the students were only the receivers of that knowledge. As the pillars and providers of knowledge the teachers determined everything, not taking into consideration the students’ capacities to imbibe that knowledge. Utmost subservience was demanded of the students to the teacher, and there was limited scope for a dialogue between the teacher and the students. Any kind of argument was only performative as it was the teacher’s word that was held to be the utmost truth. Traditional degrees are in spirit a reflection of a teacher-centric model, and hence consider theoretical, limited, and heavy knowledge as the key to education, rather than understanding the students needs.

Liberal Studies Degree existed as an idea but has only been recently implemented in India. Any liberal studies degree understands the student as the center of the knowledge system. This enables liberal studies to organize itself in a manner understanding each student is an individual with unlimited potential and interests. As human beings exposed to a varied world, their minds cannot be tied down to the singularity of a discipline. A student might be intuitively good a mathematics, and it is his thinking skills that will also make him good as music. While a traditional degree system will demand that the student choose one over the other, liberal studies will make provision for both to co-exist, thus acknowledging the enhancing the student’s potential as a human being. A liberal approach in education allows the students to believe in all aspects of themselves.

The National Education Policy (NEP) that was formulated in 2020 by the MHRD identified the shortfalls of a traditional degree, pointing out that traditional degrees were limiting the skill-set of Indian students, curtailing their employment opportunities. It recommended many revisions to the existing traditional education system such as, dual degrees, research based degrees, and interdisciplinary education. Dual degrees help students to specialize in two subjects of their interest, and this allows the students to be well-equipped to tackle the issues of the modern world. Research based degrees focus on enhancing critical thinking skills of students, which is a breath of fresh air when compared to the rote-learning that traditional methods of evaluation suggested. The centralization of interdisciplinarity has opened a new horizon for students to explore, where students are learning that all aspects of life- humanities, science, commerce- coexist and are incomplete without one another. The diversification of the learning system has proven to be a great revolution with regards to the traditional degrees which would treat any kind of innovation with suspicion.

However, liberal studies is not without its critics. Many experts of education believe that students need the foundation of theoretical learning that traditional degrees provide. For example, if a student is option for a BA English Honours degree, then knowing the history of English Literature is mandatory. The argument is justified because without fundamental knowledge any discourse is incomplete. Without knowing the history of English literature one will not be able to effectively trace the evolution of literature or society. However, one must keep in mind that liberal studies does not ask to remove fundamental knowledge. Rather it demands that any kind of fundamental knowledge be made more relevant and accessible to the students so that it does not remain an obscure object the students can only learn but never experience. Liberal studies maintains that the approach to imparting knowledge must be revised. While it is important to learn about the great historical figures of a culture, just knowing factual information about them is incomplete. Liberal studies ensures that if a student is learning about Alexander the Great in history, they are also equipped with effective knowledge in psychology which will enable them to understand why Alexander did what he did, what was his personality type and how that affected the world at large. Traditional degrees are more information based, while liberal studies by exposing the students to various strains of thought encourages them to connect the knowledge in their books to their immediate reality. The Northcap University ensures that the students are oriented to liberal studies. The students are given many opportunities to follow their interests and passions in the form of academics with open electives such as music, meditation, visual arts, literature available to students across disciplines. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the tools to tackle the demands of a diverse world. Students deeply enjoy a liberal approach to education and demonstrate their skills in horizons beyond the gates of the university.

Author

Dr. Ananya Dutta
Assistant Professor
Centre for Language Learning