Now you can become a graduate in six years

Mou Chakraborty

Kolkata: Come 2010, it will be OK for Calcutta University students to take six laidback years to be graduates. The B.A., B.Sc and B.Com courses will still be three-year courses. But a student will have the leeway to clear his subjects at any time of his choice during the six-year period. He might skip or even fail in a given number of subjects, but will be promoted to the next year under a credit system and no-detention policy adopted by the university.

The university’s Undergraduate Council took a decision on Thursday, blessing the above arrangement. “The university had introduced the Part I, Part II and Part III exam at the end of each year with a view to starting a credit system and a semester system. Now we are introducing the credit system and with it a no-detention policy. Under the new arrangement, a student wouldn’t be detained in a class even he fails in a paper or skips it. He will have six years to finish the course,” V-C Suranjan Das said.

A committee headed by pro vice-chancellor (academic) Dhrubajyoti Chottopadhyay will look into the nuances of implementing the system. It will table its report in three weeks. “We have agreed, in principle, to start a credit system and a no-detention policy. Once the committee tables its report, we will change the university statute,” Das said. “A student may pick any year in the six-year period to complete his course. We will declare him “passed” in that particular year and give him a consolidated mark-sheet. But he will have to spend at least three years on the course,” Das added.

The no detention policy and credit system will be applicable for both honors and general course students.

Highlights

*Exams can be spaced out or clubbed according to a student’s convenience

*No matter how well or badly he does, he will promoted to the next year

*He will have to spend a minimum of three years on the course and must complete it in six years

ICSE snubs Sibal on Class X exams, marks

Mou Chakraborty, Hindustan Times

Kolkata, October 27, 2009

Unlike the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading for Class X examinations.

The ICSE council also refuses to make Class X exams optional, says its chairman, Neil O’Brien.

In August, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had declared his intentions of making Class X exams optional.

He also said that those who wanted to write the exams would be awarded grades instead of marks.

Following that directive, the CBSE has already made Class X exams optional and said it would be awarding grades.

But O’Brien disagrees.

“Doing away with marks and awarding only grades won’t be useful,” he said. “If we award just grades, would colleges and universities accept the grades while admitting students?”

His logic: “College and university authorities would look for marks to draw up a merit list. Unless higher education institutions decide to admit students based only on grades and all other school education boards decide on grading, there’s no point in introducing them.”

The ICSE council currently awards grades along with marks.

About 1,600 schools are affiliated to the ICSE and more than 9,000 to the CBSE.

Principals of ICSE schools in the NCR agreed with O’Brien.

“There’s no point in giving grades in Class X and then making marks the basis for college admission,” said Anuradha Chopra, principal of Pragyan School, Greater Noida.

Komal Sood, principal of the Shri Ram School, Moulsari Avenue, Gurgaon, said, “I totally support the ICSE chairman’s views. If change has to be brought, it should happen at all levels. Class XII students should also be graded, and colleges should accept grades while admitting students.”

(With HT inputs from Delhi)

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx?ed=264, http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx