The University of Mysore (UoM) is considering major reforms in the process of granting affiliations to its colleges. The issue was prominently discussed during a special academic council meeting held on Thursday, February 13.
Vice-Chancellor Prof NK Lokanath highlighted that the Karnataka State Higher Education Council is also discussing the issue and is said to be deliberating on introducing permanent affiliation for colleges instead of the current renewal system every year, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The proposed changes include affiliation periods of three years and five years, aiming to streamline the process.
During the discussion, Registrar Savitha suggested an incentivised affiliation system to encourage healthy competition among colleges. She emphasised that promoting academic excellence through competitive affiliation could yield better student-oriented outcomes.
"Competition will bring out the best in colleges. Recognising the best-performing institutions with incentives could further improve standards," she said, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
Another key topic of discussion was the proposal to merge BA LLB and BCom LLB students into a single section with a capacity of 120 students. Law Department dean Benjamin acknowledged the challenges involved but assured that the feasibility of the idea would be examined.
Lokanath also stressed the importance of monitoring student attendance, particularly among law graduates.
Meanwhile, concerns were raised regarding practical exam fee for PhD Mathematics students. An academic council member pointed out that these students were being charged laboratory fees despite having no lab facilities.
In response, Prof Lokanath clarified that science courses inherently require lab usage at different stages and, therefore, the fee could not be waived as an individual case.
