The Left Democratic Front government is planning to do away with the practice of internal assessment for college students in the State. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel announced this at the Chief Minister’s Student Leaders’ Conclave held at Farook College, near here, on Monday.
The event, an interaction with functionaries of students unions in colleges as well as universities, was a second of its kind in the State.
Students from Calicut University, Kannur University, Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala Kalamandalam, and Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University were present.
Mr. Vijayan said that steps had been taken to ensure that students did not fail in examination only because of their bad performance during internal assessment. The practice itself could be done away with soon, he said.
Syllabus revision
The Chief Minister was responding to the suggestions of students on the issue. The syllabus in universities would be revised in the next academic year, Mr. Vijayan said.
Dr. Jaleel told mediapersons later that the alleged revengeful actions against students in engineering colleges by management and teachers were being curbed. “The Kerala Technological University has already decided that there will be no minimum marks for internal assessment. This will be extended to all other universities in the State in the next academic year,” Mr. Jaleel said.
Mr. Vijayan also said that the government was considering 50% reservation for women in college students’ unions. He pointed out that the demand was pertinent in view of the presence of a high number of girl students.
24-hour libraries
University libraries would remain open 24 hours and there would not be any restriction for girl students, Mr. Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said that reading of the preamble of the Constitution would be made a daily affair in schools in the State.
There are plans to introduce sex education for students. Though a conservative section had always opposed it, there was a need to change with the times, Mr. Vijayan said.
The participants highlighted the need to have proper waste management system in place and environment protection measures in place.
