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| Monday, March 31, 2008
Towards a student-centric system
The proposed Choice-Based Credit System is broadly directed
at improving skill levels and making graduates more employable
As Tamil Nadu prepares to migrate from its mark-based evaluation
system to a credit-ranking system the coming academic year,
students continue to wonder how different would things be for
them.
On the lines of the Bharathidasan University model introduced
two years ago, the State government has decided to make implementation
of Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) mandatory for all arts
and science colleges.
Experts welcome the system that provides for 140 credits for
undergraduate courses and 90 credits for postgraduate courses
as a student-centric initiative.
Some of the features of the system are: Standardisation of degree
to internationally accepted levels; emphasis on job-oriented
syllabi and a socially relevant system of education; scope for
students to pursue skill-oriented elective subjects of their
aptitude; possibility for bright students to earn more credits,
and the paramount importance accorded for industry-institution
collaboration.
“The main objective is to make students employable. The
system will serve to bridge the gap between the job market and
students’ skill levels,” S. Baskaran, Member-Secretary,
Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, said recently,
addressing the Academic Convention on CBCS organised by the
Joint Action Council of College Teachers at Tiruchi.
Core components in the course will continue to have the same
significance. The major change is in the introduction of a wide
range of job-oriented electives. Students will be in a position
to choose skill-based electives such as DTP and animation. The
Directorate of Technical Education has extended its co-operation
by offering the facilities and faculty of nearby technical institutions
to the arts and science colleges to offer such programmes, said
M. Ponnavaikko, vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University.
While admitting that the transition is inevitable, teachers’
organisations continue to express apprehension on two main counts.
There must be a clear-cut assurance from the government that
the system would ensure teachers’ job security and students
would not have to pay extra for this, according to P. Jaya Gandhi,
president, Association of University Teachers.
Principals of colleges affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University
are worried about the time factor, though they are unanimous
in appreciating a system that recognises students as major stakeholders.
“We will have a meeting of principals during April to
finalise the electives. Computer-oriented papers may find favour
due to job prospects,” said I. Singaram, Registrar, MKU.
The major advantage for students under CBCS will be that they
can migrate to other universities in the middle of a course
thanks to uniform syllabi in core subjects. According to Raja
Govindasamy, principal of Thiagarajar College in Madurai, an
autonomous institution already implementing choice-based system,
the electives need to be offered in such a manner that they
not only encourage inter-disciplinary academic pursuits but
also enhance students’ competency and job prospects.
“For example, a student of English literature can be taught
travel/tourism or tourism administration. Similarly, a science
student may be given a choice on writing science fiction,”
Dr. Raja Govindasamy explained.
Since the undergraduate admissions begin only in June, there
is a confidence that modalities/syllabus can be worked out by
principals during April/May.
A few autonomous colleges in Coimbatore have already been following
the CBCS; but there is seemingly no uniformity in the procedure.
Though the students are given a free hand to choose the elective
and supportive courses, the conventional marking system is mostly
followed.
Bharathiar University has been following the system for some
years in its own departments. Regarding the advantages, Registrar
P. Thirumalvalavan says that it is a student-friendly system.
“It is flexible and students can choose the additional
courses depending on their capacity. They are also allowed to
choose their course teacher and timings. Students can choose
the number of credits and also the number of months in which
they complete the course. Everything is flexible.”
Most of all, a vital point to be noted is whether colleges have
the required infrastructure for implementing the system.
Inputs from Amutha Kannan and R. Krishnamoorthy.
Courtesy: The Hindu - Education Plus
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