S. Rajashekhar, secretary, Desheeya Vidyashala Samithi, expressed concern over the decrease in admissions to degree colleges after the implementation of the new National Education Policy.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a one-day workshop on ‘NEP English Syllabi: Strategies of Teaching and Evaluation’ at DVS College in Shivamogga on Friday.
“Now many students are not showing interest in joining degree courses as it is now a four-year course. I am told students are joining engineering colleges. On the other hand, many engineering colleges are being closed. We should wonder where the students are going, even when the number of students clearing PUC has been increasing,” he said.
K.N. Rudrappa Kolale, president of the DVS, said that NEP, by and large, reintroduced the system prevailing years ago. “However, the issues in implementing the policy, have raised doubts about the policy itself. This needs to be addressed by the academicians concerned,” he said.
Prof. T. Avinash, secretary of FOCET, stressed in his introductory speech that the lack of infrastructural facilities in colleges posed a herculean task to teachers in fulfilling the objectives of the NEP. “Workshops like this are necessary to look at strategies of teaching and learning to overcome the problems we face every day,” he said.
He also pointed out that the syllabus had been prepared at Kuvempu University to suit the pre-set question paper pattern, which ideally should have been otherwise. “Each subject demands a unique question paper pattern, and one pattern cannot be suggested for all,” he said.
Nagya Naik B.H., chairperson of the Board of Studies in English, Veena M.K., president of FOCET, and M. Venkatesh, Principal of DVS College, were present. English teachers from Kuvempu University attended the workshop.