The Hindu : Proposal to hike varsity exam fees by 10 p.c.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 11, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Proposal to hike varsity exam fees by 10 p.c.

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI DEC. 10 . The Inter-University Consultative Council, which met at the Sanskrit University in Kalady today, decided to recommend to the Government an increase in exam fees of all universities in the State by ten per cent.

This is in view of the increasing cost of conducting examinations, the Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, who presided over the meeting, told mediapersons. He pointed out that university fees in the State had not been revised for a long time. The committee members had pointed out that since the Government's financial support for the universities were drying up, a hike in the fees would help internal revenue mobilisation. The Government would consult student organisations before announcing the fee hike, he said.

The IUCC, which comprises VCs, PVCs, registrars, controllers of examinations and finance officers of all the seven universities in the State, meets every six months and makes recommendations to the Government on the running of the universities. The Education Minister is the chairman of the council and currently, the MG University Vice Chancellor, Cyriac Thomas, is its secretary.

The council decided to evolve a uniform system for conducting examinations of all the universities. Steps would be taken to hold examinations of the same courses of all the universities in the same week. A unified examination calendar would be published. Though initially, the committee members had sought a uniform exam calendar for engineering courses only, later the proposal was made applicable to all university exams. A committee headed by the Kerala University PVC, Kareem, will report back to the council on its feasibility in a month.

The council recommended the Government to go in for uniform syllabi in all the universities.

It formed a committee to take a comprehensive view of the course contents, examination structure, required qualifications for examiners and other related issues in the self-financing colleges affiliated to the universities.

The council recommended that each of the universities should have an academic thrust area so that it could specialise in that.

A university could be known for, and identified with, a particular academic specialisation it has chosen, the committee felt. Many members pressed for going in for a technical university as well as a medical university so that they could take care of medical and engineering colleges in a better way. While some VCs supported the idea, others opposed it.

The council discussed the ways and norms for reciprocal recognition of the degrees awarded by each university. An `equivalence committee' would be set up for this purpose.

The council sought lifting of the ban on the appointment of teaching as well as non-teaching staff. A State-level seminar on `Excellence in higher education' will be held in Thiruvananthapuram soon to discuss how the quality of education could be improved.

The council also discussed issues like autonomy for universities, strengthening of their finances and improving campus culture. It debated whether the present system should be reformed or overhauled.

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