Tamil Nadu: All State-run universities to adopt common academic schedule

CHENNAI: For the first time, all the State-run universities and their affiliated colleges in Tamil Nadu will be adopting a common schedule including conducting exams, releasing results, and distributing the certificates to the students.

The Higher Education Department’s move to introduce a common academic programme for the institutions against the backdrop of several requests from the Under Graduate (UG) students that due to erratic schedule of exam timetable and declaration of results, their admissions were delayed for Post Graduate (PG) courses.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department, seeking anonymity, told DT Next that the common schedule will apply to all the State-run universities and its affiliated colleges including Engineering, Arts, Science, Polytechnic, and Vocational institutions. Stating that however, the autonomous colleges could function according to their schedule, he said “Since they were permitted to follow their curriculum instead of common syllabus, they could have their timetable provided they should inform the students about it”.

Claiming that the introduction of a common academic schedule will help the students from other states, who were studying in Tamil Nadu, the official said, “They could also plan accordingly, since many universities in other states in the country have both common syllabus and academic schedule”.

Welcoming the government’s move for a common academic platform, The Association of University Teachers (AUT) vice chairman

P Thirunavukkarasu told DT Next that the general academic schedule will benefit all the students from across the country, who were studying here.

“However, the functioning of autonomous colleges, which have the freedom to select their own choice, should have to be monitored whether they complete the academic schedule in time framed by the State government, which follows the UGC and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) norms”.

Opposing the general platform system, PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary of the State Platform for Common School System, said, “This can be applicable for the selected university and its affiliated colleges. If you give all the universities to work under a common academic schedule, it is destroying the character of the institution. The independence of the university is required. However, he said the state government should ensure that all the academic activities were completed in the intimated time frame”.