Much heralded semester system falters
15 May 2012 9:50 AM GMT
As the first year of the semester system ends in Delhi University, a student teacher gathering was held in the Delhi School of Economics premises to discuss the recent mishaps such as marks inflation, wrong display of mark-sheets on the DU website, and wait in the exam halls for correct question papers to arrive. These goof-ups had the students worried.
The discussion was attended by around 40 to 50 students from various colleges of DU, mainly from English and BA courses.
'The students had attended this forum immediately after their exams. Their main agenda was to discuss the semester system, which, in retrospect, is being considered disadvantageous to both the students and the teachers,' remarked Vinita Chandra, a member of English faculty at Ramjas College.
The semester system is being seen as an unsuccessful move by the DU management and the students, too, had voiced their protest against its failure. Chandra narrated an incident when a Sociology course student had to wait for more than two hours in the exam hall for her Sanskrit paper. When she protested, she was harassed by the examination controller.
'We are not learning anything because of the semester system. We come to DU with the hopes of gaining knowledge only to realise that we are being spoonfed due to lack of time and the large syllabus to be covered at hand,' pointed out a distraught student.
Sanam Khanna, a member of English Faculty at Kamala Nehru College, affirms the need for this common platform for a reformation to occur. According to her, there are mainly three to four underlying threads to the big problem of the semester system. 'Firstly, the worst hit students are the ones from ECA quota. The attendance requirement for each student is 66 per cent to appear in the exams, but its extremely difficult for a student to participate in the required extra curricular activities while making up the attendance for each semester exams. Another disadvantage is students no longer engage themselves in individual research for their curriculum due to the pressure of time. The course is served in a capsule to be memorised. Thirdly, there has been lack of infrastructure, including dearth of proper classrooms and well-equipped library, which has been marred more by the expansion system. Also, since 2006, there no one has been recruited; currently, there are around 4,000 ad hoc teachers in DU.'
Khanna is also of the view that the actual teaching time has been markedly reduced in the semester system, putting the all round development of a student at risk. 'You can not turn the students into guinea pigs,' added Khanna.
The discussion was attended by around 40 to 50 students from various colleges of DU, mainly from English and BA courses.
'The students had attended this forum immediately after their exams. Their main agenda was to discuss the semester system, which, in retrospect, is being considered disadvantageous to both the students and the teachers,' remarked Vinita Chandra, a member of English faculty at Ramjas College.
The semester system is being seen as an unsuccessful move by the DU management and the students, too, had voiced their protest against its failure. Chandra narrated an incident when a Sociology course student had to wait for more than two hours in the exam hall for her Sanskrit paper. When she protested, she was harassed by the examination controller.
'We are not learning anything because of the semester system. We come to DU with the hopes of gaining knowledge only to realise that we are being spoonfed due to lack of time and the large syllabus to be covered at hand,' pointed out a distraught student.
Sanam Khanna, a member of English Faculty at Kamala Nehru College, affirms the need for this common platform for a reformation to occur. According to her, there are mainly three to four underlying threads to the big problem of the semester system. 'Firstly, the worst hit students are the ones from ECA quota. The attendance requirement for each student is 66 per cent to appear in the exams, but its extremely difficult for a student to participate in the required extra curricular activities while making up the attendance for each semester exams. Another disadvantage is students no longer engage themselves in individual research for their curriculum due to the pressure of time. The course is served in a capsule to be memorised. Thirdly, there has been lack of infrastructure, including dearth of proper classrooms and well-equipped library, which has been marred more by the expansion system. Also, since 2006, there no one has been recruited; currently, there are around 4,000 ad hoc teachers in DU.'
Khanna is also of the view that the actual teaching time has been markedly reduced in the semester system, putting the all round development of a student at risk. 'You can not turn the students into guinea pigs,' added Khanna.
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