By Wanjop Laloo
The flaws in management of the College Semester System by the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) are indeed a matter of serious concern for the teachers and students for the system is not at all systematically administered. It might be benefiting the university monetarily but there are lots of difficulties that the students and teachers have to face in this system. The points I want to highlight are as follows.
First, the options of subjects’ combinations available to the students needs a serious revamp in the light of UGC curriculum as well as that of other universities of higher ranks. Otherwise, it may prevent a student from performing well in the subject that he takes which is already circumscribed. This may accumulate to a point when a student may not able to clear the subjects during the specified duration. Why not let the students choose their own subject combinations which was allowed in the previous annual system conducted by NEHU?
Second, the syllabus that is framed for the semester system is somewhat not in sync with the aspirations of young college students. It seems as if they are doing their post graduation rather than their graduation for everything is covered at the college level, thereby taking the education system from bad to worse.
Third, a student is allowed to offer honours even though his aggregate does not match the criteria compared to the earlier annual system. Why not the university conduct a 4 semester programme for general course and, after the completion of 4th semester, allow only qualified students to take up honours with an additional 5th and 6th semester in their Honours papers, and finally declare those students, who do not qualify for Honours in the first four semesters, as passed in the general category.
Fourth, every semester exam is conducted at the end of that semester which comprises a six- month course. The inherent defect is that under the given schedule, hardly four months time is available in a semester. For instance classes started this year 2016 in the middle of June; semester exams fall in the last week of September and first week of October so it is virtually impossible to complete the course with all the assignments and the internal tests in such a short period, and ultimately students are the losers in the hotchpotch management of things in insufficient time. Why not have a complete six months course rather than making things complex?
Fifth, the university system of weighing marks is not suitable to the current scientific system of education. This just makes the system rigid and difficult. Many students failed in the past 2 semester exams that were conducted by the university. In fact many students are rendered as drop-outs because they find themselves too difficult to cope with such a messy system. How shall we refer to this system: to increase literacy rate or to reduce it?
Sixth, students who opt to reappear their first semester’s failed paper in the third semester, have to sit for their exam both in the morning as well as in the afternoon. This is very rigorous. When we are all trying to scientifically simplify education for better results, why are we complicating simple things rather than focusing on mechanisms for enhancing human resource? Why not frame the routine/academic calendar in such a way to make adjustments and make it convenient both for the repeaters and the regulars.
All the parents and the teachers are puzzled by the current semester system run by the North Eastern Hill University. I personally have a fear that after the sixth semester we may have maximum drop outs and minimum pass out students. It’s an earnest appeal to the university to kindly look into the matter and try to rectify the loopholes in the system.
To conclude, one is reminded of the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “By education I mean an all-round drawing out the best in child and man, body and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education or even the beginning”. Education certainly is a means to all-round progress of a person. It is a pathway to human development and a basis of achieving one’s dream and purpose; let’s not destroy this dream of our students by turning the education system into a curse; lets nurture and bring out the best out in the learners and help them achieve their purpose and destination.