Gauhati University

Guwahati, March 22: Gauhati University has decided to stop admitting private students to the three-year degree course (TDC) from the next academic session.

A university official said the regulation of TDC for semester system which was recently approved by the academic council stipulated that since the semester system involves continuous assessment, there would be no scope for a student to appear as a private candidate in any subject.

The university will introduce the semester system in its degree courses from the next academic session, starting in August.

“Though a large number of students enrol for the degree courses in GU as private candidates, the university will no longer be able to admit this category of students under the new system. GU has already informed its affiliated colleges to stop all provisions of admitting private students to the TDC classes,” the official said.

The university is currently offering three-year degree courses and students appear for three annual examinations every year during the course period.

The official said under the present system it is possible for private students to appear in the annual examinations without even attending regular classes.

“Under the semester system, students will have to sit for two sets of examinations every year, at a gap of six months, and will complete their graduation after taking six examinations in three years. Besides the six examinations, there would be frequent internal and external academic assessment of students in the new system. Such a system will not allow private students to appear in examinations without attending regular classes,” the official said.

However, he said the Institute of Distance and Open Learning, GU, which had been offering quality distance education would now accommodate private candidates in various degree courses.

The regulation for semester system has also come up with various others stipulations to bring about reforms in higher education.

The official said the university would do away with the age-old system of allotting marks to students solely on the basis of their performance in the examinations.

“Instead of marks, a credit rating and grading system will be in place to evaluate students not only on the basis of what they have written on their answer scripts in the stipulated time, but also on their overall effort the year round.”

While the grading system will evaluate the student on the basis of his/her performance in a particular examination, the credit points will include the number of hours the student has put into the study of each paper.

“There are multi-fold advantages of credit and grading system. It shifts the focus of the evaluation system from being teacher-centric to student-centric. The system, which is considered to be most scientific one, does not leave students to the mercy or generosity of the teachers evaluating them,” the official said.

Many of the college principals and teachers who are participating in ongoing semester acclimatisation workshop atGU said the new system would bring about much-desired reforms in higher education.