The Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) has instructed colleges to complete the syllabus for the first-year students on time.
In a circular to the Regional Joint Directors, Director of Collegiate Education M. Easwaramurthy said, “All possible steps have to be taken for the academic improvement of students studying in government colleges.” The colleges were instructed to complete the syllabus by May 1. If required, the college principals might be instructed to conduct classes on all Saturdays, and for “extra hours”, the circular said.
This year, the colleges were permitted to admit students till November 18. Usually, the admission ends by September 30. The delay in admission for the academic year 2023-24 was also due to new schemes launched for students. The Department of Higher Education decided to wait till NEET results were released to avoid vacancies in science programmes at colleges.
Most colleges have either completed the first semester exams or are in the process of doing so. The second semester is expected to be completed by May 1 so that exams may be held shortly thereafter.
A faculty member said that since students joined in two batches with a gap of over a month, the delay impacted their performance. “Students struggled to cope with the coursework, but we hope they would do well in the second semester,” he added.
The Regional Joint Directors were instructed to send an action taken report by January 30.
