Students of PU-affiliated colleges await 1st semester results as exams for second term near completion

The arts students of colleges affiliated to Panjab University, Chandigarh, who took the first semester exams in December 2024 under the framework of New Education Policy, are waiting for their results even as the second semester exams are near completion. The university has met with severe criticism on this account from the stakeholders, including the principals, staff, students and their parents.

The university had attracted similar criticism at the time of implementation of the policy. The nodal officers deputed in the colleges had regretted the indecisiveness and haste on the part of the university in moving forward with the New Education Policy at the college level. The colleges were at their wits’ end as they were literally fed up with the modifications, alterations and revisions at the eleventh hour by the university. While it cost the academic health of the teachers as well as students dear at the time of implementation, the situation is no different at the time of delivering the final output.

“I am presently taking my second semester exams but have failed to put in my heart and soul for the simple reason that my semester-1 results are still not out. Every time I sit down to study, I fail to concentrate. The delay is creating all the more panic, nervousness and anxiety for me and others like me. Our Ability Enhancement Course paper did not go well as the university had completely overlooked the difficulty level of the 10+2 pass outs, especially those from the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). Also, as against five subjects, as was the case earlier, we were supposed to study eight papers including multi-disciplinary, value-added and skill-enhancement courses, which we could prepare only in a half-hearted manner. With such a huge variety of subject options in hand, we can just be the Jack of all trades, but master of none,” complained Sakshi, a BA first year student of a local college.

“It is sheer injustice with the freshers, who have been pushed into an entirely new system but left to grope in the dark thereafter. Non-declaration of semester-1 results is sure to affect their scores of semester-2 as the university has snatched their right to check, reflect and rework upon their academic strategies, for improving their scores. We, as teachers, too could not instruct and guide on a sound footing as the policy is as new for us as for the students and the evaluation parameters adopted by the university are still not clear,” shared a teacher of a city college.

“Earlier, the university implemented NEP in haste and is now finding it difficult to manage the evaluation load of endless subject choices provided thoughtlessly and without any preparedness at the ground level. The stakeholders were neither fully aware nor ready for the implementation of a policy, which needed much spadework and the former’s consent. The university has no right to jeopardise the future of thousands of students who were at the receiving end both at the time of the implementation and evaluation under the NEP,” said Dr Harpreet Singh, Principal, GGN Institute of Management and Technology, Ludhiana.

Prof Harpreet Dua, Head of GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana, was of the view that the university was half prepared to implement NEP in its affiliated colleges. “Haphazard implementation of a policy, which is incomplete in itself, has disturbed the academic scenario to the extent that it has cast a shadow on the future prospects of the students by delaying their results of the very first semester. Due to poor preparation and haphazard implementation, the students now prefer to take admission in private colleges, which follow no such norms,” Dua added.

Controller of Examinations, Panjab University, Dr Jagat Bhushan, when contacted, said the results of BCA and BCom are out while that of Arts would be declared by the end of this week. “A new software to handle the NEP-based evaluation system has been prepared. The results of Arts took time due to multiple subject options,” he added.

Arts results expected by end of week

The results of BCA and BCom are out while that of Arts would be declared by the end of this week. A new software to handle the NEP-based evaluation system has been prepared. The results of Arts took time due to multiple subject options. This was stated by Dr Jagat Bhushan, Controller of Examinations, Panjab University.

Ludhiana