Change the system

The entire education system is passing through a great crisis. Every day new changes are being implemented in the field of education. The community associated with education is not aware of these changes.The introduction of semester system has only worsened the situation. Semester system is beneficial only if it is implemented in a proper environment where admissions are completed on time, examinations are held and results declared on time. It works well when continuous evaluation done by teachers is trusted and students have the option of choosing a number of smaller course within the discipline. None of these things seems to be happening . In the matter of the semester system, most teachers say they are out of the loop. They believe the previous mode of annual examination was working well. Their argument is that the semester will be too taxing for undergraduate students as education would perpetually be in examination mode. Apart from this, the teachers believe the semester system will lead to many technical problems that will dilute the standard of education. The decision is yet another desperate attempt to set right the chaos unleashed by haphazard implementation of Choice Based Credit System ( CBCS) in the colleges following a state education directive. 

College teachers say that no thought had gone into the implementation of the semester system in BA, BCom and BSc  colleges. The end result is that teaching is slated to be the biggest casualty of the system. ” There is a lot of confusion caused by CBCS. Due to different schedules of the semester system students too are facing difficult in getting bus passes. 

   

Before the implementation of the semester system, it was said that the burden of study would be decreased. But the situation is totally different. What happened is that students and teachers do not find enough academic days. In absence of enough teaching and non teaching staff, admission process and other technical work always get delayed. The syllabus is not updated according to semester system. The schedule of the total academic term is not clear in the mind if students as well as in the minds of teachers. So can one imagine the situation of the students? Students are moving in the college campuses like a robot who are always in search of exam material, and all that bothers them is the result. They are getting few days for the study. The teachers are always in hurry to complete the syllabus. So at last total process of getting education and knowledge is suffered . The total education system has become exam oriented .

 Moreover there are social implications to the move too. The semester system is not conducive to the students for being socially unjust. The system has not only created chaos in the field of education but also divided the students into rich and poor. If you have money, then you have right to get education. Otherwise not. So the first dangerous implication of the semester system is that it has divided the students community into have and have nots. Second thing is that students are always busy with their exams. So they can not develop social concern about the social cultural problems of our society. The total generation coming from the semester system has only few informations about their subject but can not have integrated approach or comprehensive knowledge about their subject. And only exams oriented and career oriented approach towards the life is developing.

If the technical problems and infrastructure problem can be solved out, we can not avoid the social implications. And it has been proved also. All are realizing these problems. Sooner we understand the fall out of this new system, better will it be for us. Haward University, Cambridge University, Oxford University London School of Economics still have not implemented semester system in general courses of humanities and basic sciences. So we have to rethink about the semester system. 

(The writer is chief spokesperson of J&K RTI Foundation) 

sheikhmaqbool2012@gmail.com

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