Mahatma Gandhi University will soon revert to the traditional vacation system of April-May, thanks to the government directive advancing the retirement date of teachers in affiliated colleges from April 30 to March 31.
The move is expected to de-rail the smooth implementation of the choice-based credit and semester system, where colleges used to get a one-month semester break or vacation in each semester in November and May every year.
Giving a clear hint that the vacation schedule will have to be re-structured, Vice-Chancellor A. V. George told The Hindu on Thursday that there will be no other option but to adopt the earlier pattern of having annual vacation in April and May in the wake of the new government order.
The revised government order issued had advanced the retirement date despite the fact that the mandatory 90 working days in the even semester in the university academic calendar included the days in April.
In an earlier directive issued by the Principal Secretary, Higher Education, permission was given to teaching staff of all affiliated arts and science colleges under the Mahatma Gandhi university, who completed 56 years during the course of an academic year, to continue in service till the last day of the month in which the academic year was complete (till April 30).
The ‘Mahatma Gandhi University Ordinance, 2011 – regarding academic year, Semesters and Vacations and Holidays' approved by the Governor (who is also the Chancellor) - had prescribed that each semester will consist of a minimum of 450 contact hours distributed over 90 working days, inclusive of examination days, within 18 five-day academic weeks.
With the advancement of the retirement date of teachers, the affiliated colleges have plunged in to a crisis, with at least 300 teachers under the Mahatma Gandhi University forced to leave the campuses at the fag end of the academic year. The last-minute government order (dated March 27) came as a shocker to the faculty members, who had no idea about the change in the retirement date from April 30 to March 31.
Principals have informed the varsity authorities that it will be difficult to complete the portions before the beginning of examinations in May in view of the present scenario. The internal evaluation of students will also be hit severely, with the exit of many faculty members having experience of nearly 30 years. It is learnt that there are colleges in the city in which as many as eight to ten teachers had to face this unceremonious exit following the government stance.
