In order to enhance the future career prospects of ‘Agniveers’ and prepare them for various job roles in the civilian sector, the Ministry of Education will launch a special, three-year skill-based bachelor’s degree programme for serving defence personnel that will recognise the skill training received by them during their tenure in the defence establishments.

The Union Cabinet yesterday approved an attractive recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the armed forces called AGNIPATH and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as ‘Agniveers’.

The scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The AGNIPATH scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces.

Under the Education Ministry programme designed by IGNOU, 50 % of the credits required for a graduate degree will come from the skill training – both technical and non-technical – received by an ‘Agniveer’ and the remaining 50 % 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 and Jyotish, as also Ability Enhancement Courses on Environmental Studies and Communication Skills in English.

This programme is aligned with UGC norms and with the National Credit Framework / National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) as mandated under the National Education Policy 2020.

It also has provision for multiple exit points – Undergraduate Certificate on successful completion of the first-year courses, Undergraduate Diploma on successful completion of the first and second-year courses, and Degree on completion of all the courses in the three-year time frame.

The framework of the programme has been duly recognized by the concerned regulatory bodies – All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) and UGC. The degree will be awarded by IGNOU as per UGC nomenclature (BA; B. Com.; BA (vocational); BA (Tourism Management), and will be recognized both in India and abroad for employment and education.

The Army, Navy and the Air Force will sign a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with IGNOU for the implementation of the scheme.