Anna university gives 75 days to wind up next semester, colleges seek more time

Anna university gives 75 days to wind up next semester, colleges seek more time

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:09.08.2020

The new academic schedule issued by Anna University gives 75 days to engineering colleges to complete syllabus for the next semester while engineering colleges seek more time as they may have to conduct the entire semester online.

As per the new academic schedule released by Anna University, the colleges need to begin next academic year on August 12 and the last working day would be October 26.

"The online classes for all the higher semesters shall be conducted for the theory courses till the normalcy returns and the class room teaching is restored. After restoration, the laboratory classes shall be conducted or any other alternative methods if devised will be intimated in due course," the circular from Centre for Academic Courses of Anna University to colleges said.

It also asked the colleges to maintain attendance for the online classes. The semester exams will commence from November 9 and next semester will begin from December 14.

The new schedule gives the colleges roughly two and half months to complete the semester. But, colleges said they need 90 working days or 450 hours to complete the syllabus including the lab classes. "It is not possible to take more than three hours per day in online classes. Students don't have data plans and many students are not able to concentrate beyond three hours," said a college principal.

The university asked the colleges to take classes even on Saturdays. "If we leave out the Sundays, then there are only 60 working days. It is not practically possible to cover the syllabus with online classes," another principal said.

"Anna University should call for an online meeting with the principals to discuss various issues including online classes and academic schedule," said B Chidambararajan, principal of Valliammai Engineering College.

However, M A Maluk Mohammed, director and correspondent of MAM College of Engineering and Technology in Trichy said it is possible to finish the syllabus within the period provided with cooperation from students and faculty members. When asked, officials from the university said the schedule was drawn as per the instructions from the state government. "Being the election year, the state government wanted to complete all academic activity before the end of March. So, the schedule was prepared accordingly," they said.

TIGHT SCHEDULE: With 2021 being an election year, the state government wants to complete all academic activity before March and prepared the syllabus accordingly, university sources said