The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Compulsory Tamil’ clause in Choice-Based Credit System goes

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Monday, May 05, 2008
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‘Compulsory Tamil’ clause in Choice-Based Credit System goes

Shastry V. Mallady

Students can choose any language in Part I
Tamil paper in Part IV will be of class VI level

MADURAI: The State government has made changes to the proposed Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) in universities and colleges following requests from certain quarters to relax the guidelines for the benefit of students.

A high-level meeting of higher education officials held in Chennai on Friday decided to accommodate various views and suggestions, which include not to make Tamil language compulsory for students (in Part 1).

Implementing the CBCS is mandatory for all universities and colleges from 2008-09 academic year.

Official sources here told The Hindu on Sunday that the government would send the modified proposal on the CBCS to varsities and colleges by Tuesday and it has “adequately addressed all concerns” with regard to autonomy of colleges, uniformity, core subjects, credits and language papers.

“The draft guidelines are altered due to objections. Earlier, it was mooted to make Tamil compulsory in Part 1, but that is not the case now. Students of varsities/ colleges can choose any language,” A. Ramasamy, Vice-Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, said when contacted.

With regard to fears of encroaching on academic freedom of autonomous colleges through a uniform CBCS, he said that those apprehensions were unwarranted because the government’s emphasis now was only on uniformity in core papers.

“The decision to agree on Tamil language issue would benefit non-Tamil students. It is enough if they study Tamil paper in Part IV which will be only of class VI level,” Dr. Ramasamy said. Substantial freedom was also given to colleges to offer job-oriented courses for arts and science students.

“We are not insisting on common syllabus for core papers. Every autonomous college will have freedom and the criticisms from a few colleges in Tiruchi were unfounded and vague,” he said.

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