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Credit-based semester system in all Madras varsity colleges

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI March 1. Breaking new ground in higher education, the Madras University Academic Council today decided to introduce a "credit-based semester system" for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all 94 affiliated colleges from the next academic year.

To enhance skills and expertise among students, the Academic Council, which met here, also decided to institute 38 utility-oriented certificate and diploma programmes, which they could pursue simultaneously with undergraduate programmes. It approved the new regulations for Ph.D courses.

The Syndicate had, at two last meetings, accepted the recommendations made by Boards of Studies in Arts/Science/Commerce to frame regulations and syllabi for B.A, B.Sc. and B.Com under the credit-based semester system, effective from 2003-04. Today the Academic Council approved these regulations as also textbooks for foundation courses (languages including English) and new regulations and syllabi for postgraduate degrees, and postgraduate diploma, diploma and certificate courses to match the requirements of the new system.

Sports compulsory

All students should compulsorily enrol for NSS/NCC/sports and games and will have to put in a minimum attendance of 75 per cent.

From now, students of a three-year undergraduate programme in affiliated colleges should get minimum pass marks as prescribed under university regulations in all six semester examinations, and earn 120 credits even while fulfilling the compulsory extension service requirement to qualify for the degree. Candidates who pass all examinations in the first appearance alone would be eligible for ranking/distinction.

For a postgraduate degree, students should get 72 credits.

Transparent exams

The regulations passed by the Council also gave the scheme of examinations and the credits for each paper. The examination system would be more transparent and students given photocopies of answer-sheets. The university would permit revaluation for first attempt candidates in all six semesters.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, the Vice-Chancellor, S. Ignacimuthu, pointed to the radical changes taking place in higher education. It was becoming flexible and diverse in programmes, structure, curricula and delivery systems.

The University Grants Commission's Tenth Plan policy document outlined practical steps to improve higher education, providing a `cafeteria approach' which promoted the concept of core, optional, elective and supportive courses with a modular credit-based approach. It allowed students to do courses in an open and flexible manner.

Already, the `cafeteria approach' existed in the university. Now the credit-based semester system was being promoted, he said.

In adopting an important UGC recommendation, undergraduate students would be permitted to continue their studies in the fourth year through the distance education mode. When they completed the required credits in a skill-oriented and value-added programme, the students would be given an additional degree, in the areas of commerce, management and computer applications.

Members of the Academic Council members actively debated the changes, and some of them wanted the university to go slow on certain aspects, saying syllabus-making was a serious business. In some of the certificate programmes, the details were still unclear. However, the Vice-Chancellor explained the painstaking work done by the Board of Studies over the past few months to prepare the syllabus.

If there was any shortcoming, it could be further debated. The university would organise workshops to explain the credit-based system as also the question paper schemes to teachers in affiliated colleges.

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