PU gives 10% grace marks after backlash over New Edu Policy

Immediately after the issue of poor results of students in colleges affiliated to Panjab University in the first semester under the New Education Policy (NEP) was highlighted in Ludhiana Tribune, the university has granted 10 per cent grace marks in core subjects to all arts students. This significantly improved their results, in a number of cases, making them eligible for admission to the next class.

The stakeholders, including managements, principals, staff, students and their parents, had collectively criticised the haphazard implementation and execution of the new policy, which had led to a debacle for the students from the very outset.

“The results, had they not been revised, would have resulted in a massive dropout, which neither the colleges nor the students were in a position to bear. A general grace of 10 per cent in discipline-specific, i.e. core subjects, has certainly improved the results. With the revised percentage, a good number can now pursue their degree rather than end up as failures,” said Dr KK Sharma, Principal, A S College for Boys, Khanna.

Principal of Gobindgarh Public College, Alour, Dr Neena Seth Pajni, said, “We collectively requested the university, which graciously accorded a general grace of 10 per cent in core subjects. With this revision, not only did the SGPA of the students improve, the overall pass percentage too improved by all means.”

“Our total percentage improved with the result revision. The revision was well deserved. The chances of students getting through in re-evaluation are brighter now. Moreover, with improvement in credits, the students can now be comfortable with their next class as well,” shared Dr Ajit Kaur, Principal, Ramgarhia Girls College, Ludhiana.

Suman, a BA first-year student of a city college, said, “My result has improved commendably. As the revised results were displayed on June 26, my joy simply knew no bounds. I was earlier in the fourth position in the college, but after the revision, my position is second.”

“I was not eligible to take admission in the next class since I had secured less than 50 per cent credits in the original result. After revision, my pass percentage has improved to the extent that I can now easily move to BA second-year,” said Gurpreet Kaur, another student.

“The whole world came crumbling down when I found a reappear in economics, one of my favourite subjects, in my previous result. But in the revised result, I passed and am now all charged to pursue it till my MA,” said student Samir.

Karamjeet Kaur, another student, shared, “As the subjects increased from five to eight under the NEP, it became difficult to do justice to all in just three months of study. Everything is too early for us to digest. Hence, I failed to secure 12 per cent credits for promotion to the next class. My parents work on daily wages, and one can very well imagine how difficult it is for them to manage home as well as me and my sisters’ education. I had to be satisfied with a Class 12 tag until the university revised the results and made me eligible for the next class.”

Notwithstanding the revision, academicians, students, parents and guardians have demanded a thorough revamp of the policy, which they feel has not been adequately supported by stakeholder feedback.

“The implementation was in every way abrupt. The shift should be gradual. A systemic revision of curriculum based on classroom realities is essential. The mandatory condition requiring students to secure 50 per cent of the first-year credits to progress to the third semester should be waived off for at least the initial three years of NEP implementation. The value-added, skill-enhancement, multi-disciplinary and ability-enhancement courses can be assessed internally by external examiners,” said Dr Sandeep Sawhney, Principal, Govind National College, Narangwal.

Controller of Examinations, Panjab University, Prof Jagat Bhushan, when asked about the revision of results, said that students had been given a grace of 10 per cent in discipline-specific subjects to improve their scores at this initial stage.

Ludhiana