Calcutta University is considering a special supplementary exam for a large number of students from its affiliated colleges who failed to clear minor (pass) papers — mainly in science subjects — in the fifth semester.
Vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh said the move is being explored because the high failure rate has put students’ progression to the fourth year (seventh and eighth semesters) at risk.
Under the National Education Policy, students enrolled in a four-year undergraduate programme must pass all major (honours) and minor papers to move into the fourth year.
“At a board of studies meeting on Monday, we received a proposal to hold a special supplementary examination to help students clear backlogs,” Ghosh said.
“We can proceed if the rules permit, but the matter must be placed before the university’s syndicate,” he added.
The VC admitted that if the special supplementary exams are not held, there will hardly be any takers for the fourth-year seats in colleges.
A student will be awarded an honours degree only after completing the fourth year. If a student does not want to study the fourth year, he or she has the option to exit at the third year (sixth semester).
Ghosh noted a sharp rise in failures in physics, chemistry and mathematics. Typically, mathematics majors take physics as a minor paper, while physics majors opt for mathematics.
A CU official said the crisis has taken “an alarming proportion” because there are several thousand seats available in 142 degree colleges for undergraduate majors in physics, chemistry and mathematics (honours).
“However, at present, the total number of students who have cleared all major and minor papers in these three subjects is 219. This means there will only be a handful of candidates to pursue the fourth year,” the official said.
“Again, there are 817 seats available for two-year master’s programmes in these three subjects at the university. Which means in the current situation, 74% of the seats in the three subjects for master’s will remain vacant,” the official said.
A student exiting at the end of the third year in July can take admission into the two-year postgraduate programme.
Students who exit after the third year can apply for postgraduate courses, with admissions based on equal weightage of an entrance test and academic performance up to the fifth or sixth semester. However, since sixth-semester results (scheduled for June) will be declared later, the university had planned to consider performance up to the fifth semester — possible only if students clear all papers by then, said VC Ghosh.
Natasha Dasgupta, the principal of Vidyasagar College, said the number of students failing in the minor papers was substantially high.
“It could be that students are not taking the minor papers seriously. They cannot afford to be casual because, under the four-year undergraduate programme introduced under the NEP in 2023, a student aspiring to be admitted to the fourth year has to clear all major and minor papers,” said Dasgupta.
Earlier, the undergraduate programme was of three years.
Registrar Debasis Das said CU is also considering easing the difficulty level of minor papers as a short-term measure. “The syllabus could be slightly lighter than that of major papers, and question papers may be set a bit easier. As an immediate step, we are planning a special supplementary exam,” he said.