The education department will launch a software later this year to streamline the academic calendar and funds disbursal at Bihar's universities.

The software could help in streamlining publication of results and payment of salaries to employees, both of which are delayed now.

The department will introduce the University Management Information System from the academic session starting July. It is a special software that will allow the department to keep tabs on detailed information about universities and share information with other institutions.

All of Bihar's 11 universities, including Patna University, Magadh University, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University and Nalanda Open University, have their own academic schedules but this software will synchronise and regularise all of them with due consultation with the varsities.

The students will be the biggest beneficiaries, as late exams and results will no longer be an issue.

Manoj Kumar Rai, an AN College student, said: "Among all the universities in Bihar, only Patna University follows an academic calendar. The university starts its examination process in February/March and by June-end, all its undergraduate and postgraduate examinations are completed. But the other universities, including Magadh University (to which AN College is affiliated), conduct the examinations after April, delaying the academic session."

There will also be little scope of financial mismanagement in the universities with the introduction of the software that will have a centralised office in the education department headquarters in Patna - units would be installed in the universities for upload and sharing of information.

Funds released by the education department will be monitored as will be the funds utilisation, which will make late payment of salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff a thing of the past.

The State Higher Education Council will be the implementing agency for the new system. "With its introduction, the universities will have the freedom to conduct examinations but they would have to maintain the academic calendar," said State Higher Education Council vice-chairman Kameshwar Jha.

The academic calendar formulated under this new system would be uploaded at the start of every academic year and the universities would have to follow it. The universities, on their part, will keep the education department abreast with details of funds utilisation, teachers and non-teaching employees, promotions and new appointments, etc.

Teaching and non-teaching employees in the universities had not received their salaries for four months last year. The funds were finally disbursed in November first week. The delay was because the education department had put the brakes on release of salaries grant to the universities due to non-submission of utilisation certificates.