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The Government of India, through University Grants Commission [UGC] has recently announced it is going to permit Higher Education Institutions to admit students twice a year, once in July-August and again in Jan-Feb of every year. They say it is for increasing gross enrolment ratio and to help students missing July-Aug admission session due to reasons beyond their control, like delay in conducting exams, delay in publishing results, re-exams and Court cases. UGC’s intention is good, but we doubt whether they studied the proposal in depth. There are multiple problems with it which are experienced by faculties of the institutions where the scheme exists already. Earlier, the Govt of India had similarly announced a Scheme of 4-year degree courses and issuing different certificates to students leaving in the middle, in new National Education Policy [NEP], without deep study.
New NEP and its implementation
Though the NEP was announced a few years back, it is yet to be implemented throughout the country and in all universities. Why? The NEP says the authorities should issue a certificate or diploma or degree if the student drops out after first or second or third year of study respectively. A full honours degree will be issued after 4-year on completion of the course. Because the policy is impractical to implement for many courses, especially on professional courses, it is yet to be implemented in many universities. In all professional courses, only the fundamentals of that profession are taught during the first and second year. If a student drops out during that period, how much knowledge he may have about his profession? How can he practice that profession? Framing syllabus in such a way to give some professional knowledge during a short period is not at all easy, especially on a course designed for 4-year. Even if the Scheme is only for arts and science colleges, then also it is a bad idea to interfere in the existing 3-year degree courses and cut short the course content for one year study, two years study etc. Buildings constructed without the needed foundation will collapse at any moment and endanger the surroundings as well. Thus, society will be in danger constantly because of these half-baked professionals or employees! Is it that the government wants?
Congenital deformity!
If the govt is serious about student’s dropout in the middle of the course, find out the reason individually and help them, morally, monetarily and materially. Provide them with everything they need to complete the course. Even after that, if a meagre percentage of students go out, heaven will not fall. It should be of concern only when this percentage is higher. Just for these few dropouts, changing the entire, time-tested education setup is unnecessary and not wise! Thus, the NEP is born with defects - congenital deformity! Designers should rethink and address the concerns raised by eminent educationists at the time of the introduction of NEP and subsequently.
Insult to injury
Now to add insult to injury, our govt has announced a scheme of twice a year admission. It is not clear whether this scheme is applicable to PG courses alone or to all UG and PG arts college and professional courses. Nevertheless, it has inherent problems. Firstly, we need to double the infrastructure like classrooms, labs and staff, both teaching and non-teaching, to implement it. Will the government allocate extra money for this in its budget? Not likely. Then it may be left to private colleges and universities. They will invest only when there is a potential for a reasonable return on the investment. Otherwise, they may try to bypass the rules and regulations like having teachers only on records, not in colleges. These ghost teachers will be present only when there is inspection!
Problems with twice a year admission
As pointed out above, firstly, you need extra classrooms, labs and staff. Obviously, it implies huge capital and recurring expenses. Take it for granted, an institution is ready for it. Naturally, they will expect a reasonable return on the investment. Will the scheme guarantee it? It cannot, because the proportion of students missing the main admission session in July-August will be very less. Instead of sanctioned strength of, say 60, in a class there will be only 20 to 30 students. Will it be agreeable to any management? Which management will engage and pay teachers for half or one third of the strength in a classroom? Either they may have to stop the course or double or triple the fees, which may lead to an end in due course of time.
Experience
We experienced the following problems in twice a year admission in pharmacy courses. In Tamil Nadu, twice a year admission is in practice for pharmacy courses for more than half a century! Of course, it is not in the first year of the course but in subsequent years. If a student fails in two subjects in his annual examinations in March/April, he is permitted to write those subjects during supplementary exams in Sept/Oct. If he clears them – at least one subject - then he is admitted to Sep batch and can continue his course Sep to Sep. The funny part is, if there are 15 failed April batch students, even if only one passes, he is considered as a separate Sep batch. Teachers will teach him separately. Theory classes, practical, theory exams and practical exams and all conducted exclusively for him. Sometimes, an external examiner is brought from another state to conduct an exam for a single candidate! Needless to point out, different sets of question papers are set, and the fun goes on. They say it is for not wasting an entire year by a professional course student! So far so good! But in practice, what is happening, you know?
As there is a shortage of teachers [invariably in all colleges, including govt colleges], these Sep batch students are directed to attend classes along with their senior April batch students. In these combined classes, lessons are taught to them from the middle of the syllabus, as already the preliminary first chapters of the subject are finished from July to Sep. Think about the problems faced by Sep batch students. Thus, classes are conducted for name’s sake! A shortcut to solve the requirement of additional classrooms and teachers indeed! This apart, there is confusion in the administration of dual groups of students in the same year by college offices. They oppose this headache! There is no guarantee that this will not happen in all the institutions.
The problem of failed students and not wasting a year is solved cleverly by states like Andhra, Telangana by conducting supplementary exams during the summer vacation itself, just after 40, 50 days of the main April exams, and those who pass in it, are attending next year classes along with their classmates in the April batch. Thus, they avoided the confusion, year loss, infrastructure requirements etc. Tamil Nadu, a developed state, is yet to adapt to this method for reasons known only to university and Govt authorities! Thus, the twice a year admission scheme will definitely get stuck in a complex web.
How to come out? where is the exit?
The shift system which is already followed in many colleges may be the exit. It can be made mandatory for this scheme. Main July-Aug students can have classes on the forenoon shift and the supplementary Jan-Feb batch students afternoon shift. In this exit, mix up and other problems like extra classrooms and labs can be avoided. But the college management need to appoint additional teaching and non-teaching staff. Govt can ensure it by frequent surprise inspections. Even here a new problem pops up! Now a days govt aided colleges are running regular aided courses on the forenoon shift and self-financing courses in the afternoon shift. They cannot go for this scheme. Thus, the new scheme is full of potholes and consequently difficult to implement!
(Author is ex-president of Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association, Madurai, Tamil Nadu)
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