No choice-based credit system for PG courses yet

No choice-based credit system for PG courses yet

Mangalore, March 11: The Academic Council of Mangalore University in its meeting on Wednesday decided to “defer” bringing all postgraduate courses under the choice-based credit semester scheme from the academic year 2010-11. Vice-Chancellor of the university T.C. Shivashankara Murthy presided over the meeting.

The Governor, who is the Chancellor of the university, approved the regulations governing the scheme on August 26, 2009. Following this, on January 19, 2010, the university issued a notification for implementation of the scheme from the academic year 2010-11.

Some members in the council suggested that the Vice-Chancellor reconsider the university’s decision. They said that there were some “grey areas” in the scheme. They should be addressed first before implementing it, they said.

Mr. Murthy said that the scheme in its current form imposed some restrictions on the choice of subjects by students.

The scheme, as it is now, allows students to study inter-disciplinary subjects within the stream. (For example, science students can opt to study inter-disciplinary subjects within the science stream only). In addition, the Vice-Chancellor said that there was a need to prepare a set of different subjects with simple syllabi. Students should be allowed to choose a subject of their choice, as the inter-disciplinary subject, from the set.

Mr. Murthy said that a meeting of deans of different faculties and Boards of Studies could be convened to discuss the amendments needed in the scheme. If required, a special meeting of the Academic Council could be called.

Later, in an informal chat with presspersons, the Vice-Chancellor said that the university would amend the regulations of the scheme and send it to the Government for approval. If the Government approved it before the commencement of the academic year 2010-11, the university would implement the scheme from the next academic year itself.

Autonomy statute
The council did not approve an agenda pertaining to amending the “statute governing the grant of autonomy to colleges, institutions and functioning of autonomous colleges”.

The principals of the autonomous colleges had requested the university to amend the statute for “enjoyment of complete freedom in respect of academic matters pertaining to framing syllabus, designing subjects of study and starting innovative courses both at the degree and postgraduate levels.

Mr. Murthy told the council that there was a need to scrutinise the amended statute tabled before the council. According to the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission, the functioning of the autonomous colleges should be reviewed every year by a review committee.

However, chapter VI, clause 7.3, in the amended draft statute tabled before the council mentioned that “the UGC review committee may visit the college between the fifth and sixth year of autonomy. The university may send its own review committee at least once during the tenure of the autonomy”.

The Vice-Chancellor there was a need to review certain amendments mentioned in the draft statute, including clause 7.3. Mr. Murthy said that a committee of the university would review the amendments in the draft statute. “Hence it will be deferred,” he said.

Courtesy- TheHindu