Mangalore University’s plan on implementing three major academic reforms from this year has received a set back as the State Government has kept them in abeyance for quite some time. The university is now left with no option except to wait and watch.
The varsity, in the first place, proposed to reduce the number of examination papers at its undergraduate level. Secondly, it wanted to introduce a “choice-based credit semester scheme” at postgraduate level and thirdly it was contemplating on an upward revision of the internal assessment marks of each subject at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The university authorities drew the attention of Arvind Limbavali, Minister for Higher Education, to the pending three proposals, during his visit to Mangalagangotri, the varsity campus, on Friday last week, sources told The Hindu .
According to the sources, the Minister, who was there at Mangalagangotri for the entire day, promised the authorities that he would pursue the matter with the Government. However, the Minister, who is the pro-chancellor of universities in the State, did not commit on any timeframe for the Government’s approval. Even if the approval were to come in a few days, the university would not be able to implement them from this year as the classes for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses had begun. The university could implement the reforms only from the next academic year, sources said.
Sources said that the university authorities had requested Mr. Limbavali to sanction Rs. 5 crore for completing various infrastructure projects such as construction of a complex of four auditoriums, extension of humanities block, road works, and upgrading of some buildings.
Degree courses
The academic council of the university had approved the amended draft regulations pertaining to reducing the number of examination papers for undergraduate courses at its meeting on January 28, 2009. Later, the university sent it to the Department of Higher Education for approval on February 2. However, the department asked the university to send the copy of the same once again. The university sent the copy for the second time on June 18, sources said.
Ever since the university introduced the credit-based semester scheme for degree courses (from 2006-07), students have been forced to write twice the number of examination papers under the current scheme, vis-a-vis the annual scheme. Teachers too have been complaining of being over-burdened under the credit-based semester scheme.
Post-graduation courses
Sources said that the university had sent the “draft regulations governing the choice-based credit semester scheme for its postgraduate courses” from 2009-10 to the department on May 6, 2009. Along with it, the university had sent the amended draft regulations for reducing the duration of each examination from three hours to two hours for post-graduation courses.
The academic council of the university had approved the draft and the amended draft in its meetings held on December 12, 2008, and April 16, 2009, sources said.
Internal assessment
The academic council had also approved its proposal of increasing the internal assessment marks of each subject from 20 to 30. Consequently, the marks for external assessment through regular examinations had been proposed to be reduced from 80 to 70 a subject.
