INTRODUCTION OF CHOICE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM: A NEW PARADIGM SHIFT IN HIGHER EDUCATION

India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 62% of its population in the working age group (15-59 years), and more than 54% of its total population below 25 years of age. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has initiated several steps to include innovation and improvement in course- curricula, introduction of paradigm shift in learning and teaching pedagogy, examination and education system. With a view to allow the flexibility in education system, so that students depending upon their interests and aims can choose interdisciplinary, intra-disciplinary and skill-based courses, choice based credit system (CBCS), is adopted. The choice based credit system not only offers opportunities and avenues to learn core subjects but also explore additional avenues of learning beyond the core subjects for holistic development. The UGC has prepared mainline and specialised model syllabi for undergraduate programmes and made it available to the universities to facilitate the implementation of CBCS. Education is a light that shows the mankind the right direction to surge. The purpose of education is not just making a student literate but adds rationale thinking. It is an engine for the growth and progress of any society. It not only imparts knowledge, skill and inculcates values, but is also responsible for building human capital which breeds, drives and sets technological innovation and economic growth and survival. The institutions, relationships and norms that emerge from higher education are instrumental in influencing