The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Economics lecturers to boycott BU evaluation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 27, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Economics lecturers to boycott BU evaluation

Special Correspondent

They are against commerce teachers handling economics-related subjects

Issue to be taken up at Inter-Universities Board meeting
Varsity accused of allowing commerce teachers to set question paper

BANGALORE: Bangalore University’s cup of woes appears to be overflowing. After coming under fire for the leakage of II B.Com. question paper at a city college and the reported mass copying at its distance education centre in Mysore recently, the university will now have to contend with the boycott of evaluation by its economics teachers.

The boycott of evaluation of degree examination papers of Economics by the Bangalore University Economics Teachers’ Association (BUETA) since June 24 is expected to put a question mark over the academic future of an estimated 45,000 students.

However, the reason behind the decision of the teachers to stay away from evaluation has little to do with either leakage of question paper or reported mass copying. “Our persistent demands to crack down against the teaching of economics and other related subjects by commerce teachers have fallen on deaf ears. Not only are lecturers allowed to teach economics-related subjects despite their lack of expertise, the university authorities had commerce teachers set the question papers for the exams held earlier this month,” said BEUTA president M Siddananda.

However, University Registrar (Evaluation) Puttaraju told The Hindu that efforts were on to convince the economics lecturers to give up their protest. Vice-Chancellor Prabhu Dev is seized of the matter and has assured the BEUTA that the matter will be taken up at the Inter Universities Board (IUB) meeting scheduled to be held at Belgaum later this month.

“The controversy relating to commerce teachers handling economics classes is not unique to Bangalore University. Almost all universities in Karnataka have this practice,” Mr. Puttaraju said. However, the Registrar (Evaluation) said all lecturers had not boycotted evaluation of economics papers and the evaluation exercise would not be affected. “Most of them are evaluating the papers. We have appealed to others also to resume work,” he added.

However, BEUTA does not appear to be in a mood to relent. “We have been raising this demand for the last three years. We have submitted memoranda in the regard umpteen number of times,” Prof Siddananda said. “Lecturers, who have studied MA in economics, should teach students economics. The varsity is cheating students by allowing commerce lecturers to handle economics and related subjects”, Prof. Siddananda said.

He said commerce teachers of Bangalore University taught mathematics and statistics, English and law by prefixing business to the subject. “How is it possible for any person to acquire expertise in so many disciplines?” Prof. Siddananda questioned.

Apart from teaching economics, commerce lecturers also take up question paper setting, evaluation and act as chairpersons and chief examiners.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka