Students hear, bear and treat as dear because of fear.
In an interview Rector Sudha Tripathi said “Semester
system will discourage absenteeism, compel students to complete assignments and
will help the teachers know their students’ weaknesses and strengths, provide
more time to teachers to work on research and assignments, and provide timely
feedback,”. I have no questions in these sayings because these are the main
features and purpose of semester system, and if the semester system is properly
working they must be there. However, the main questions are, Do Tribhuvan
University professors go with pointed purpose? Are there all these features in
TU semester system? What strategies or trainings have been given to TU
professors to achieve these purposes? In
another interview, Hridish Pokhrel, an executive
director at Office of Planning Directorate at TU, said that, “in the initial
phase students may face some problems regarding exam schedule and syllabus
completion”. His argument sounds so agreeable with regard to the initial phase
of anything we vow to accomplish. In fact, the difficulties are the natural
truths. However, up to when initial phase? Is TU still in the initial phase of
semester where sixth batch is studying? Can TU chairpersons escape from their
responsibilities saying initial phase? These are the genuine questions which
are unanswered. Here, these questions pave way to my article which will come
out with students’ perspective with the question how students are feeling about
TU semester system!
Semester system is taken as students
oriented learning system where students are active as well as at center, and
professors are only facilitators. Professors give instruction and students have
to follow their direction and instruction. Students have to take part in each
class and conversation. Regular attendance is mandatory so frequent class test
and regular evaluation compel the students to keep themselves updated. Students
should give presentation which increases students’ confident to deliver their
ideas in a mass. Study becomes research based so students do not remain limited
with course book. Generally, these are the positive aspects of semester.
However, students who are studying at TU argue that they have been partially
implemented by the departments of TU. To be exact, one student Anjan Bam opines
“there are more negative sides than the positives, so it has been just
formality”. Unmanaged time schedule, professors’ authority, no complain by
students, unqualified teachers and students, limited time unlimited task,
regular attendance, unnecessary pressure, no use of modern technology,
unmanaged classroom, semester only in master degree, more vacation and outdated
syllabus are the negative side of TU semester system.
Students are victim of unmanaged time
schedule of TU. Shushil Poudyel, just passing out student of Education, says “I
think semester system divides the year in two parts having two academic
sessions but I spent all most three years to pass out for forth semester, does
TU pay for extra one year?”. It is the bitter reality of TU which proves that
TU does not care about students’ time because they do not know the value of
Time. Furthermore, because of unmanaged
time schedule even in class by professors, semester system has been limited
time, unlimited pressure. Students have to do regular homework, presentation,
attendance, read bulky book, interact with professors are good things but work
for term paper, prepare for internal exam and final exam at the same time give
more pressure to students. I have seen many students who are exchanging term
paper because of time pressure and exam pressure. So, limited time becomes main
source of pressure and headache for students which only contribute for deep pressure
not deep knowledge of course.
Students tends to study being exam
oriented. There are no less than four courses in one semester and each course
contains three/four books as a complete course. Especially in Nepal, there are
many vacations in the name of different festivals and memorable day. In
semester system, there is busy schedule of teaching but TU is still following
the annual system’s legacy in the case of the vacation. It seems to be not
concerned with the course completion, rather it is more inclined to the
vacation. Because of such vacations and others occasional holidays, the
academic courses are hard for TU to complete in time. But the students have to
take its burden. they have to finish the course themselves either through self
study or through taking tuition. This is how they are compelled to make
preparation for the final exam. So, the students become more exam oriented than
knowledge oriented. Moreover, professors are guided by false conception. What
all they think of the best teaching strategies is by giving more pressure and
assignments. They thereby expect the students to improvise their academic
skills. But they are not ready to think about its negative consequences. They
seem too be ignoring the fact that the strategies they are co-opting do not
improve students’ quality. Rather it causes the frustration among students.
Therefore, there are many cases of dropping-out because of such problems at TU.
Students rarely complain about Professors
though they are unsatisfied with their lectures. Semester system has given full
authority to Professors for the internal assessment. many lectures and professors come to the
depart by political force without experience and knowledge misuse given
authority. Professors have full authority of forty marks out of hundred so they
deal their complain showing forty marks in their hand. Some lectures and
professors directly tell “you went against me wait” so students think, if I
complain against professors, complain and disagreement will be reflected in
marks sheet. Furthermore, they do not go against professors rather Students
hear, bear and treat as dear because of marks fear. For instance, student
Samikchha Rai says “students do not go against professors because they have
forty marks in their hand, once I complained against one lecture he gave me
only nineteen marks out of forty”. Not only from central depart, Kumud Kharel,
TU student of engineering also says, “internal marks threatening, the old
syllabus much older than human civilization and Kasto ramro deko thiye; kasari
lagyo” kind of experience he has collected. So those students who becomes
nearer and dearer by flattering deserve good marks because of biasness.
In semester system, because of fee,
regular attendance and assignments those students who are from lower
correspondingly medium economic background can not admit. Especially in central
depart Kirtipur classes are only in day time so students who want to handle job
and education at the same time, have to quit either semester system or job.
Therefore, semester system has become the system of rich and upper class not
for economically weak. For economically weak and poor, it has been just dream
of skyscrapers who are in street. Furthermore, there are not updated syllabus,
students take entrance exam but all will be selected so not qualified student
are selected, professors come with political power without publishing even one
journal in international forum. No use of modern technology as well as
classroom are unmanaged. More importantly, semester only in Master degree has
been main problem because students are not in habit of semester system up to
bachelor so they feel over pressure and quit the semester.
To sum up, I know, my article seems
more pessimistic regarding semester system at TU. But you must know I am
writing about TU semester system from the perspective of students. I have
talked with many students and they indicate more negative side than positive so
I wrote as it is. According to students, Unmanaged time schedule, professors’
authority, no complain by students. unqualified teachers and students, limited
time unlimited task, regular attendance, unnecessary pressure, no use of modern
technology, unmanaged classroom, semester only in master degree, more vacation
and outdated syllabus are the negative side of TU semester system. However,
there are also positive sides but they are over shadowed by negatives.
