Mangaluru April 18:
Association of Mangalore University College Teachers AMUCT®(www:amuct.org) organized a day’s workshop on Choice Based Credit System proposed by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to be implemented from the start of the next academic session 2015-16 on April 18, 2015. The workshop was organized at the Office of the AMUCT deliberated at length the pros and cons of the proposal. 54 Invited members representing the Office Bearers representing 18 Subject Associations under Mangalore University, Principals and Managing Council Members of Amuct participated in the workshop.
Prof B. V. Raghunandan former President of Amuct explained the pros and cons of the proposed model with clarity. Dr A.M. Narahari, Registrar, St Aloysius Autonomous College, Mangaluru and Dr A. Lourdusamy, Nodal Officer of Community College, St Aloysius Autonomous College, Mangaluru, who participated in the CBCS workshop at Hyderabad organized by UGC , shared their experiences and highlighted the challenges in the implementation of the scheme.
After extensive deliberations it was resolved to welcome the concept of CBCS as a timely step in the field of higher education at undergraduate level. AMUCT congratulates MHRD and the UGC for the efforts taken in proposing a comprehensive scheme for transforming the system of study to a choice based credit system. It has plenty of forward looking aspects which would create a significant impact on higher education in the country. The members uniformly endorse the concept of choice based credit system.
However, AMUCT has the following reservations:
1) The curriculum is not ready even now for B.Com., basic degree, BBM, B.C.A and many other streams. With only 50 more days for the reopening of the colleges, not finalizing the curriculum for many streams even now will prevent getting the feedback on those courses.
2) Getting the feedback from all over the country and deliberating upon them and then making the changes and notifying to the universities will require quite a lot of time
3) The proposed model undermines the academic flexibility and autonomy of universities. When we are in the age of decentralization and have already accepted the notion of autonomous colleges, taking away the autonomy of the universities through a common syllabus is not in the right direction. This will make the curriculum to be rigid and taking a huge time to change at the national level, when the present dynamic society calls for changes every year.
4) In addition, the regional interest will suffer by not incorporating the region-specific topics in framing the curriculum and syllabus. It was unanimously felt that each university should have flexibility in deciding the courses, subjects and components of teaching-learning methodology. Preparation of time table, allocation of workload and other logistical issues should be sorted out. Hence the implementation shall be postponed to 2016-17 academic year.
5) Meanwhile faculty, students, parents and other stake holders shall be involved in evolving the CBCS structure. Unilateral attempts to implement the CBCS will lead to chaotic conditions due to which the student community will be subjected to difficulties in the form of uncertainties, anomalies tension and confusion. AMUCT suggests better wisdom in having a thorough preparation for the proposed changes to make them successful and beneficial to the students’ community.
