Students taking admission in various postgraduate courses in Patna University (PU) this year will reap the benefits of the new semester system, like their counterparts in Jawaharlal Nehru University or Delhi University.

Not only will they get an updated syllabus and continuous year-round evaluation, they would also be allowed to see their answer scripts.

PU postgraduate students will now have a fresh syllabus with new topics. There will also be focus on new learning and teaching methodology. Sources said the new syllabus has been designed keeping in mind the pattern that is followed in top universities across the country.

Most leading universities in the country already follow the semester system. Besides the two in Delhi, Jadavpur University and Presidency University in Calcutta, and University of Hyderabad also have semester system for postgraduate courses.

Rash Bihari Singh, a geography teacher, told The Telegraph: “Latest topics and new chapters have been introduced in the revised syllabus. Earlier, there was only a passing reference to remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS). But now, these topics would be studied in detail.”

He added: “A new paper would deal with remote sensing and GIS. There would also be practical papers on these subjects. New topics like hydrology and industrial geography have also been added.”

History students would also benefit from a revised syllabus. Head of the department of history, Bharti S. Kumar, said: “In the revised syllabus, we are going to introduce a new paper, ‘Society and economy through the ages’. We will also teach in detail the Harappan civilisation. Focus will be on new theories and research work that are being carried out in India and Pakistan at Indus Valley Civilisation sites.”

A new chapter on the history of Bihar has also been added. This chapter focuses on topics related to the creation of Bihar from the Bengal Presidency in 1912. The life and work of Sachchidanand Sinha, Mahesh Narayan, Maulana Mazrul Haque and others who campaigned for the creation of the separate province of Bihar would also be included in the chapter.

Students would also get the advantage of round-the-year evaluation. Apart from the four semesters, 30 per cent marks in each paper would be devoted to their performance in class tests, participation in debates and symposiums as well as their attendance.

The icing on the cake, however, is that the students would be allowed to see their answer scripts. Students are very happy with this suggestion.

Kishan Kumar, a geology graduate from Patna Science College, said: “If students get the chance to see their answer scripts, they will be able to evaluate their performance and find out where they have made mistakes. Moreover, a student can learn how to answer a question.”