Principals directed to fix timings of government degree colleges

Last year, it was fixed at 8 a.m. but revised to 9 a.m. after protests

A file photo of students waiting at a bus stop.

This academic year, government degree college principals in the State have been asked to fix the timings of classes from anywhere between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

This comes after several students and lecturers from rural areas had complained about inadequate transport facilities early in the morning.

Last year, the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) said that colleges should begin at 8 a.m. but after protests by lecturers, they revised the timings to 9 a.m.

In an official circular on July 16, the department has vested the responsibility of fixing the timings on the principals. However, colleges that are functioning in two shifts as well as laboratory classes are supposed to start at 8 a.m. The circular has received a mixed response from students. While some feel that they will be stuck in traffic if the classes begin at 10 a.m., others say that it will give them time to finish morning chores and tasks. “Many of us are working and studying simultaneously. So after the change last year, we shifted our work timings to the evening as classes would get over earlier. But now if the timings are changed, it will be difficult to convince our employers to change the timings again,” a B.Com student said.

H. Prakash, president, Karnataka Government College Teachers’ Association, said that this was a good move as principals could fix the the timings after understanding the difficulty of the their respective students.

He added that department officials did not have any objection even if they wanted the classes to commence at 8 a.m.