The commission for reforms in examination in universities and higher education institutions of Kerala has recommended a host of reforms, including the introduction of a uniform grading system in universities, providing students with unique student IDs, enabling credit transfer to facilitate student mobility and discontinuing the practice of awarding weightage for classroom attendance in internal assessment.
The panel chaired by Mahatma Gandhi University Pro Vice Chancellor C.T. Aravindakumar submitted its report to Higher Education Minister R. Bindu on Thursday.
The 98-page report highlights the several intrinsic flaws in the examination system that contributed to the delay in providing quality and time-bound services to the student community.
The commission has recommended completing admissions to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes offered by universities by July. The process is usually delayed until October under the present circumstances. It emphasised the need for introducing a common entrance examination in each university for PG programmes conducted by its respective departments and affiliated colleges.
While most universities follow an internal to external examination ratio of 20:80 in affiliated colleges, the commission has proposed enhancement in weightage of internal components to at least 40%.
While universities must continue to prepare question papers and conduct term-end external examinations, colleges must be tasked with evaluating answer papers of term-end external examinations of first and third semesters of all two-year courses; first and second semesters of three-year courses; and first, second, fifth and sixth semesters of programmes having duration more than three years. The evaluation of practical and project works must be done internally through continuous assessment mode.
The commission called for steps to ensure the declaration of results within 30 days from the last date of examination. Printed mark/grade lists, including provisional degree certificates, must be made available within 15 days of publication of results.
Universities should strictly adhere to the examination calendar published at the beginning of each academic year. They have also been urged to refrain from postponing examinations unless during natural calamities.
All universities must ideally implement a digital question bank and online transmission of question papers. Each university will be required to implement a formulate policy for moderation of marks/grades and awarding grace marks/grades. Moderation with a view to increasing pass percentage in examinations must be avoided.
The expert panel has also urged universities to implement a centralised and integrated University Resource Planning (URP) system that coordinates various functional units of the university and higher education institutions. Such a system that is based on enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions must be developed for all activities involving academic, examination, administration, finance and planning components.
The commission comprised Kerala University and APJ Abdul Kalam Technology University registrars K.S. Anil Kumar and A. Praveen respectively, and former Calicut University registrar C.L. Joshy.
