It seems as if universities have taken a uniform decision to ignore the uniform calendar they were supposed to follow from this academic year. None of the vice-chancellors appear to have any memory of the decision taken at a meeting called by the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) in December 2010 to follow a Common Academic Calendar from the academic year 2011-12. A committee was set up headed by Kuvempu University Prof. S.A Bari to prepare the uniform calendar and the universities received several reminders about what was expected of them from both the higher education council and higher education minister V.S. Acharya.
But despite it all, they have gone about their business much the same as usual by setting their own pace for all academic activity this year. While the reminders were very specific — they were to announce the annual academic calendar in advance to bring in more discipline into their functioning and mention when students could expect their exam results — nothing of the sort has been done and the universities have instead done as they pleased, clearly cocking a snook at the government. “Although the council had directed the universities to start undergraduate classes from June 1, they began only in July.
“And every university has since announced separate dates for their semester exams without giving any date for when results can be expected,” says a senior officer of the education department. “Even the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has failed to ensure a uniform calendar among its affiliated colleges. Many colleges started classes immediately after the first round of CET counselling although they were supposed to start them on September 5. And some have still not begun classes,” he deplores.
One vice-chancellor, when contacted, blamed the KSHEC for not doing enough to implement the common calendar. “It should have held a couple of meetings with all VCs and registrars to ensure that they started classes together,” he said.
Source : DC