By Mehboob Inamdar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The academic autonomy (AA) of the departments of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada will be governed by the new regulations from the current academic year with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).
It may be noted that the postgraduate departments of the university were given from the academic year 2005-06 to make a decision about revising in examination pattern, new courses, admission process and fixing fees. Three are 55 postgraduate departments at the city campus and Dharashiv sub-campus while 100 colleges within the university’s jurisdiction offer postgraduate courses.
The administration received grievances from stakeholders that PG departments were misusing the flexibility by delaying examinations and result for months. Students were upset over this as they were unable to take admissions further. The examinations of departments and colleges were being conducted separately.
The administration withdrew the AA of the departments from the academic year 2021-22. Since the department heads were upset over the decision, the AA was reinstated from the academic year 2022-23. However, there were no detailed regulations and this was creating confusion in certain issues.
Therefore, the administration asked the Board of Deans to prepare ‘Regulations for Academic Autonomy to University Department’ in detail.
The Boards of the Deans submitted the new regulation last month. The regulations are based on various sections of the Maharashtra Public Univeristy Act 2016, NEP-2020, Report of the Task Force for Implementation of NEP.
With the approval of authorities and administration, the implementation of new regulations began in the current academic year 2023-24.
Talking to this newspaper, Pro-vice chancellor Dr Shyam Shirsath said that the new regulations were made taking into consideration of NEP which has more flexibility to stakeholders.
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Dept can hold exams separately
The departments conducted examinations with the students of the affiliated colleges in the last academic year.
ProVC Dr Shirsath that now the departments would have the autonomy to give the examinations on their own, but, within the prescribed schedule. He said that departments would have to declare the result 30 days and it is delayed, would have to submit the report
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Provision to withdraw autonomy
There was no provision to withdraw the academic autonomy of the departments if norms are violated.
“Now, the departments will adhere to the university regulations, failing which, the administration may take appropriate actions like removing of autonomous status against the defaulting department,” he said.
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Objectives of autonomy
There are objectives laid down in the regulations. Some of them are as follows;
--Re-structure and redesign the existing course curricula to suit local needs and make it skill oriented
--Use ICT-enabled modern technology in teaching and learning
--Promote Healthy Practices such as community services, and extension services for society’s benefit
--Promote inter-disciplinary, multidisciplinary, trans-disciplinary research in the relevant field
--Evolve Methods of assessment of students' performance