Semester system: PU plans to hold senate meet in May
The Panjab University plans to hold a special senate meeting in May to clear the proposal of introducing the semester system in its affiliated colleges for undergraduate courses.
The Panjab University plans to hold a special senate meeting in May to clear the proposal of introducing the semester system in its affiliated colleges for undergraduate courses.
Well-placed sources from the university told Hindustan Times that the varsity has never held a senate meet immediately after its budget meet, which was held in March, in the recent times. While four senate meetings are usually convened in one academic year, the first meeting after the budget session is usually held in August.
However, the issue of introducing semester system in the 180-odd colleges affiliated to the varsity required urgent attention before the new academic session, the sources said.
In July last year, PU had told the Punjab government that it will start the new system from the 2014-15 academic session. Following this, the Punjab government and UT administration wrote to the central government assuring them of introducing reforms in higher education in colleges in order to get grants under Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
“If the proposal is not cleared soon, it will be delayed by another year and the central government could stop grants to both UT and Punjab,” a university official said.
While the issue was to be discussed in the March meet, it could not be taken up as it was not discussed in PU’s syndicate meet, held days before the senate meeting.
The university’s rules state that matters of such academic importance should be cleared by both the syndicate and senate, before they are implemented.
“If the new system was to be adopted, it should have been cleared by now,” another official said, adding that the varsity’s academic affairs committee of university had finalised the syllabus of 59 subjects which were to be changed and the guidelines for the new system have also been framed.
The university has also chalked out a plan to deploy more manpower to the examination wing and 50 persons from different branches would be shifted for the purpose and is awaiting the approval of both senate and the syndicate.