The undergraduate syllabus to be updated

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, April 2, 2007
The undergraduate syllabus in the state is going to be updated to keep up with the changing educational needs and trends.
Taking its first step, the West Bengal College and University Teachers Association (WBCUTA) conducted a 2-day seminar at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata on April 1 and 2, called ‘Evaluation System at Undergraduate Level’. “We have seen that the syllabus followed by the colleges and universities in the undergraduate level is not up to the mark. It is outdated and not enough to ensure the students a job after they complete their education. We will soon come up with a framework for a new syllabus and would forward it to all the universities,” said Tarun Patra, general secretary of WBCUTA.
The WBCUTA will be conducting further workshops with the teachers of all the state universities. “We will make a framework of the proposed syllabus and circulate it to all the universities. The universities are autonomous organisations, so it will be up to them to implement it,” said Patra.
The recommendations of the workshop include, a short and relevant curriculum, which would be continuously updated. There were also suggestions to make the curriculum time-bound by converting it into a modular form. Teaching and learning methods are also set to change, by bidding farewell to the traditional ‘chalk and blackboard’ and make learning more interactive and student-friendly. Students will also be asked to present papers in college-level seminars to make them more academically oriented.
The evaluation pattern is also headed for a change. “We often see that after review, only 4 to 5 marks are increased. This happens because the teachers do not evaluate well. In such a scenario, the responsibility of evaluation should be given to the more responsible teachers,” said Father P.C. Mathew, principal of St. Xavier’s College. The aim will be to publish error-free results at the earliest. Suggestions for spot evaluations have also been stressed at the seminar.
After a feedback, taken from teachers and students from the colleges and universities in Bengal, it was found that most students preferred the idea of having grades in their mark sheets instead of marks along with the credit system. The students also urged the teachers to help them do “guided library work” to optimise utilisation of resources.
The teachers on the other hand, have complained that many students treat the college as a registration centre, which would facilitate them to take the university exam and do not bother to attend classes. “We are also suggesting allotment of 5 per cent marks on attendance to ensure that students do not bunk classes,” said Patra.
WEBCUTA will now send its recommendations to the higher education department, all the universities and the Directorate of Public Instructions.
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