Stir against ‘year-back’ reaches more campuses

Protesters say Kerala Technological University’s system is a severe blow to those who have taken loans for studies

Although it is nearly a week since students of various engineering colleges under the Kerala Technological University (KTU) hit the warpath against the year-back system, there appears to be no sign of a resolution of the issue.

Although the agitation began spontaneously in a few colleges, it has now spread to most campuses. Various student organisations have come out in support of the agitators. The university had introduced the year-back system for engineering students, under which the students must clear 35 of the total 47 credits in semesters one and two together for registering for the third semester, from the academic year 2015-16.

They can continue their studies in semester three, but to register for the fourth semester, they must clear 26 credits pertaining to semester one and two at one go. Students say that the year-back system is a severe blow, particularly to those who hail from poor families who are dependent on bank loans for their higher studies.

“Students from poor and middle class families are literally trapped. We have no other option but to complete the course, however long it might take, because many of us have taken loans for our studies. The credit system requires us to have 26 credits to enter the fourth semester and 71 for the sixth.

People who got admission in colleges with minimum grades for KEAM examination are unable to achieve this,” said Dhanesh, president of the newly formed All Kerala KTU Students Union (AKKSU), which is leading the agitation.

‘Too tedious’

He alleged that though the university was supposed to hold two supplementary examinations to enable the students to acquire the required credits, this was not being done.

“The supplementary examinations are not being conducted regularly and the results are often published very late, forcing the students to apply for the next supplementary examination or to go in for revaluation. Often we have to write the regular examination in the morning and the supplementary papers in the afternoon. We have to study two subjects in one day. Just reading six modules of textbook would require two days. Isn’t this a violation of human rights,” asked Muhammad Rameez, a student participant in the student stir.

‘Flawed grading system’

“The grading system is flawed,” said Bharat Kumar, another participant in the strike. “Students who fail in an exam get OS (outstanding) grade on revaluation. For the exams which all of us find easy, the results will be average and the harder ones would throw up good results,” he said.

His college-mate Nabeel A. Nazar said that while one semester was of 5-6 months duration in other universities, the KTU had shortened it to two-and-a-half months.

“So there will be classes only for about 38-40 days within which we should cover six modules, which most teachers are not able to do,” he said.

The All India Students Federation (AISF) has called for an ‘education bandh’ over the issue across the State on Monday.