Skill-based learning and employability are two aspects of Indian agricultural education that have come center stage during the overhaul of agriculture education reformed by the curriculum reform committee of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research.

ICAR has launched Skill Enhancement Courses

As part of the decisions taken, ICAR has launched skill enhancement courses and made internships compulsory along with UG certification, UG diploma, and degree requirements in its Sixth Deans’ Committee Report released last month.

ICAR is trying to “improve employability” with practical knowledge besides instilling skills for entrepreneurship by including choice-based skill enhancement courses in the UG programs and internships in agriculture education.

Through these curriculum reforms, ICAR aims to enable graduates to “become a job provider rather than a job seeker by establishing enterprises in concerned fields.” ICAR states that the undergraduate curricula restructured are “designed to enable the students to take up entrepreneurship as a career path.”

Agriculture Syllabus: Skill enhancement

The areas of skill enhancement shall be chosen from a range of modules offered by their parent institutions. The agriculture colleges or universities will build their capabilities by offering up to 12 credits of skill enhancement courses.

Foundation courses, introductory and skills enhancement courses, or training in the selected area will be part of the programmes undertaken in the first and second years.

All of the 13 UG programmes will be undertaken by first-year students. The curriculum will have foundation courses, introductory and skills enhancement courses, training in the selected area, and ability enhancement courses to prepare them for employment or entrepreneurship.

Students in the second year can choose the following skill enhancement courses:

• Students will also go through 10 weeks of internship for exit programs after the first or second year. Students can choose elective courses and advanced skill enhancement courses in the fourth year through projects and internships.
• “For this institution and society, students will acquire advanced knowledge and skill in different areas to meet the higher order requirements of the society and industry as well as other prospective employers,” the report said.
• The committee has recommended a list of skill enhancement courses for each stream, but agricultural universities can do so.
• “The evaluation of the skill enhancement programs will be per the evaluation criteria of courses with only practical,” said the report.

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Agriculture Jobs: Internship

ICAR has also provided exit after completion of the first year to award a UG-Certificate and after completion of the second year to award a UG-Diploma, but only after completing a 10-week internship in both cases.

“The internship at the time of exit for the UG-Certificate and UG-Diploma is meant to enhance skills further in the selected area or subject, ” said the report.

For the internship, ICAR has requested universities to preferably make arrangements beyond the parent institution at an assigned organization, industry, research institution, or project with a progressive farmer or agri enterprise. The students will undertake industry-oriented internships under the READY scheme in the fourth year.

Conclusion:

Therefore, ICAR’s curriculum reforms have witnessed a radical change in agriculture education, placing it more on practical/skill-based learning. Choice-based courses, mandatory internships, and multiple exit points with certificates will focus on the Entrepreneurial skills of the students. Such curriculum changes will shape agriculture graduates as job creators by transforming them into innovators and facilitating sustainable growth in agriculture. These initiatives of the ICAR ensure that students are industry-ready, empowering them to lead enterprises towards rural development and food security.

The earlier last date was 30 November 2024 and now that has been extended to 10 December 2024, this has given way for many more to take up XAT 2025 registration.

Those who are wishing to join management courses in XLRI (Xavier School of Management) can concentrate on this exam which is one of the most popular ones in the country.

Candidates who have applied earlier, can choose edit and choose new centers on 28 and 29 September 2024. The test centers are mentioned below for the sake of the students:

The process of submitting the application started on 15 July 2024. Admit card for the exam will be available for download from 20 December 2024.

Exam will be conducted on 5 January 2025 from 2:00pm to 5:30pm. The process of application (XAT 2025 Registration) has begun.

The scores in the exam will be used by other well-known management institutions for admission into courses offered by them.

There are other prestigious B Schools that offer admission into management courses based on scores in XAT and these institutions are known as XAMI (Xavier Association of Management Institutes).

Point to remember

The official website for the exam is ready and it can be visited with the help of URL ‘https://xatonline.in/’ The candidates can read the information about the exam.

The link to take up XAT 2025 registration is active, candidates can take up XAT 2025 registration and apply for the test.

About the exam

The full name of the exam is Xavier Aptitude Test which is popularly known to all as XAT. It is conducted every year by XLRI of Jamshedpur.

It is a national level exam that has to be passed to gain admission into management courses offered by XLRI and other participating institutions.

XAT 2025 is meant to be conducted for the year 2025. The test will be conducted across 75 cities in India.

Even apart from participating institutions, many other b schools across India offer admissions based on scores in this exam.

Who can take up XAT 2025 registration?

Candidates willing to take up XAT 2025 registration must have passed Bachelor’s Degree or its equivalent from a recognized educational institution located anywhere in India.

Candidates appearing for the final year of their qualifying degree examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also take up XAT 2025 registration.

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However, they have to pass the exam and provide a proof for it by the time of admission process commencement in XLRI or its associate institutions.

1. The URL mentioned above must be typed into the browser and submitted to allow the website to download.

2. Once the website is ready, candidates can click the information brochure and know about the exam.

3. After reading the information, candidates can click the button Register.

4. Clicking the above button will open another webpage with URL ‘https://applications.xatonline.in/?_gl=1*17pi4n7*_ga*MTM4OTUzOTQ1NC4xNzIwODU1NjQw*_ga_44L83023B1*MTcyMDg1NTY0MC4xLjEuMTcyMDg1NTgyMC42MC4wLjA.’

5. When the webpage with above URL opens, candidates can provide the required information and create an account with username and password.

6. Post account creation, candidates can login and start applying for the exam.

Link to take up XAT 2025 Registration is Here

Registration fee

Candidates have to pay XAT 2025 registration fee of Rs 2200 while applying for the exam. Those applying for XLRI programmes, have to pay Rs 200 per programme.

How to download admit card?

Candidates who have successfully completed their XAT 2025 registration will alone be able to download admit card and its process is explained below:

1. Candidates have to visit the official website for the exam at ‘https://xatonline.in/’

2. Once the website is ready, candidates have to click the link for downloading hall ticket which may open another webpage.

3. When another webpage opens, candidates have to type their application number and other required information and submit them to obtain the admit card.

Exam pattern

XAT 2025 will be conducted online as a computer based test where the questions have to be answered on a computer screen at the test centre.

Duration to complete answering is 3 hours 30 minutes. The test will have questions related to Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge, and Essay Writing.

Candidates who have taken up XAT 2025 registration must remember that XLRI has decided to make changes in exam timings. XAT 2025 exam timing stands changed from morning to afternoon.

The exam has to be passed with required qualifying marks which is also known as cutoff scores.

Cutoff score is the minimum marks candidates have to get in the exam to be eligible for next phase of admission.

The score of the candidates in the exam must be either greater than cutoff or equal to it.

Those who pass can appear for the next stage which comprises group discussion, interview, document verification. Those who get the seat can pay the money and join the institution for classes.

Point to remember

It is to note that many institutions accept XAT scores for admission into management programmes offered by them, their admission process and schedule may vary from that of XLRI.

Candidates have to visit the websites of those institutions and obtain information about their admission process before submitting applications there.