Although college heads here are not certain about the practicality of Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) in science and humanities mooted by a UGC Committee, it is not entirely new to the institutions in the fold of Bharathidasan University.
Four-year Bachelor of Science programme was introduced by the university in 2010-11 through five colleges, including two autonomous institutions, only to be discontinued a year later. Only one batch of students passed out with B.S. degrees in Electronics and Computer Science. It is another matter that the students with BS degree faced an ordeal to get into post-graduate programmes.
Introduction of the four-year degree programme has now been recommended by a UGC committee for promoting and improving quality of research in colleges and universities.
“Transition from the current three-year undergraduate programme to the proposed four-year duration is not a difficult proposition. A change of this kind with provisions for skill-orientation and research activities has been long overdue to infuse real purpose into the educational process,” Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University P. Manisankar said.
The duration could be increased by the Syndicate with the concurrence of the higher education department, he said.
The report submitted by National Education Panel led by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan to the Ministry of Human Resource Development has also recommended re-introduction of the four-year course as part of the undergraduate reforms.
“Both three-year and four-year courses will be allowed to co-exist, but with multiple exit and entry options. The four-year programme will provide for greater rigour and allow students to conduct research optionally,” the NEP draft says.
The view of college heads, in general, is that the changes being proposed in higher education are too fast to comprehend. But not all are prepared to accept any alteration to the status quo.
“Spending another year in undergraduation is not possible for students from economically backward families. Secondly, skill-orientation for job-readiness and research activities could as well be incorporated within the three-year duration of undergraduation,” R. Sundararaman, Principal, National College, said.
“The outcome intended from the proposed four-year undergraduate programme is already being derived from three-year programmes by very many autonomous colleges,” he added.
