The JNTU Hyderabad (JNTUH) is all set to embrace Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) from this academic year, but it will be limited to only autonomous colleges for the time being, and the decision on introducing the same in affiliated colleges may take some time.
Under JNTUH, 12 colleges enjoy autonomous status and they have been chosen for CBCS as they have the wherewithal to offer the capsule courses outside the technology curriculum.
The JNTUH campus college at Kukatpally will also offer CBCS and a plan is being worked out to finalise the inter-disciplinary courses and give them the required grades. Though the first step has been taken, officials are sceptical about its success given the shortage of teachers and the infrastructure.
“As of now the B.Tech courses have 200 to 212 credits. The credits to be reduced in the core course and earmarking them to courses outside the stream is a big task. Such a scenario demands necessary infrastructure and qualified teachers,” said a senior professor seeking anonymity. “Clarity lacks on the issue in the government too and confusion prevails in the universities in taking it forward.”
Semester systemThe university is also rooting for introduction of semester system in the first year of engineering in all private colleges. Only the university campus college and some autonomous colleges are following the semester system in the first year while all affiliated colleges follow semester system only from the second year. “This is due to the delay in admissions which get completed almost in September,” agrees T. Kishen Kumar Reddy, Rector, JNTUH.
Senior professors say the JNTUH should reduce its credits to 176 as suggested by the AICTE by removing some unnecessary syllabus. “Some of the subjects are dynamic in nature and by the time they pass out they become irrelevant. Such lessons should be removed and interested students can learn outside the college,” a teacher said.
