Kolkata: The University of Calcutta (CU) has decided to switch over to the semester system in phases, complying with the directives of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The system would initially be introduced in postgraduate studies, replacing the current annual examination system.
The university is working to introduce the semester tests in MA and M.Com courses from the next academic session. Speaking about this change, Vice-Chancellor Dr Suranjan Das admitted that the students can be better assessed in the semester system than through the annual test. However, he added that it would be difficult to switch to the new system in all courses simultaneously because the university does not have enough teachers. The streams which will be left out of the new system for the time being would divide the syllabi into modules to fit into the semestars.
The university is struggling to implement the UGC directives because of the paucity of teachers. As per the UGC guidelines, the teacher-student ratio in the postgraduate level must be between 1:12 and 1:15. However, most departments in Calcutta University have failed to meet the standard.
