Mumbai University extends academic year of all streams by 12 days

Mumbai University extends academic year of all streams by 12 days

TNN | Apr 23, 2018, 05:24 IST

MUMBAI: A week before the academic term was to end, Mumbai University extended it by 12 days. In a circular issued by the university on Saturday, it notified arts, science and commerce colleges that they would shut for summer vacation on May 12, whereas the term for law colleges will end on May 19, eating into their vacation. The second-year exams for courses such as BCom will come to an end only in the first week of May-—probably first time ever —affecting many students.

The term has been extended, said a principal, to accommodate delayed exams this year and also to ensure that teachers are available in May to assess the papers. “The second-year exams are usually completed in March, before the final university exam commences. This year, the SYBCom exam is getting over on May 4. Since the university is conducting all the three exams, the entire academic calendar is disturbed. Colleges usually focus on completing their in-house exam work, and university’s online assessment is likely to suffer even with this arrangement,” said the principal.

Last year, too, the university had to push the academic term by six days. They have doubled it this year when the new term almost starts on the same day, said a teacher. “The notification came at the eleventh hour. Most teachers would have already made their vacation plans and booked tickets too. The UGC recommends that we should get 10 weeks of holiday in a year. But the university’s exam scheduling process and the online assessment has been eating into our vacation period for last two years,” said the teacher. Representatives from the Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union (BUCTU) have written to the university, asking it to stick to the UGC norm.

This, said a principal, does not help the university to resolve the assessment problem. “Since the second-year BCom exams get over on May 4, most colleges will focus on completing the assessment of this exam. Teachers will not be available for the assessment of university papers. The chaos is likely to delay the results once again. Colleges need to plan out the assessment well with the help of their teachers and teachers need to co-operate too. However, the university has failed to initiate action against teachers who do not participate in the assessment work. Such teachers will continue to avoid it this year too,” said the principal.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-university-extends-academic-year-of-all-streams-by-12-days/articleshow/63873940.cms