Yoga over Python: how India’s new college curriculum rewards the easiest skills |
Last November, something like an end-of-season sale broke out across several of Delhi University’s colleges. It wasn’t for clothes or gadgets; rather, students were scrambling to “shop” for their vocational electives on the college websites.
This is because a four-year undergraduate degree demands 160–192 credits. And those come from an elaborate menu: core curriculum, electives, vocational courses, value-added courses, and internships. The idea, at least in theory, is to let students assemble a degree like a buffet.
One particular category, the vocational or skill-enhancement courses (SEC), started in the 2022 batch. And due to them being first-come, first-served, they ended up being unusually competitive.
Delhi University also capped the number of seats per course. This meant more than 13o,000 students across 77 colleges of the university had to secure their slots online.
All of this sits within India’s latest undergraduate framework, introduced as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) in 2020, which prioritises flexibility. The idea behind this—modelled after the US education system—is to make graduates more employable by blending formal education with vocational training.
Indian graduates, in general, struggle with employability. According to the 2025 Economic Survey, only about 8% of undergraduates hold jobs that actually match their qualifications. More than half end up working below their skill levels.
On paper, the new system offers almost unlimited choice. Which is both the feature and the bug. Because when students are given a large menu of courses that all deliver the same credits, many of them choose the easiest item on the menu.
“Initially, there was some interest among students,” said Abha Dev Habib, professor at Miranda House College, Delhi University. “But now, students just want to take up these lukewarm, easy courses such as yoga or physical education and earn the same credits.”
Universities have also roped in edtech platforms, whose role is increasingly going beyond just providing optional skill-based courses and helping build the vocational courses’ curriculum.
With multiple players, little regulation, and a flaky framework, students are having a free run, chasing credits that don’t ultimately serve them.
A lot of takers, but not a lot of learners
Every vocational course under India’s new undergraduate framework carries the same value: two credits.