Session jams can be avoided
Monday, 31 May 2010
MOST public universities in Bangladesh face the problem of session jam from time to time. Instead of taking five years to complete honours and masters, students need six, seven or even eight years to complete their university life. But their private university batch-mates enter the job life earlier.
This problem has been prevailing in the educational institutions for many years. Though the situation improved somewhat in the past few years, the problem seems to be back again in public educational institutions at the highest seat of learning. An informal formulation of academic calendar and its implementation can help address the problem to some extent. In this informal academic calendar, all such factors like strikes by students or teachers, hartal, natural calamity, etc., should be taken into consideration.
The teachers and students will need to be serious to follow this informal academic calendar. They should be even agreeable to hold classes on Fridays and other holidays and should consent to having classes during various vacation periods to avoid loss due to factors like strike, troubles in campus, and hartal.
Many students might argue against attending classes on holidays and in vacation periods. But they should understand that they would do so in their own best interests. They would need to be motivated that if they don't attend these informal classes, they will be losing valuable time and will be lagging behind in the career race. Even they should be told that in their working life, they may have to work on Fridays sometimes. Teachers should make some sacrifice by working informally on holidays for the greater interest of the students, that is for the nation.
When taking classes in private universities, the same teachers of public universities follow academic calendar. Why cannot they implement the calendar in their own institutes? It is high time teachers and students took necessary steps to make the most of the academic years. Here lies one of the effective ways for completing academic courses and syllabuses in time.
Waheedul Haque
Jahangirnagar University
Savar, Dhaka
This problem has been prevailing in the educational institutions for many years. Though the situation improved somewhat in the past few years, the problem seems to be back again in public educational institutions at the highest seat of learning. An informal formulation of academic calendar and its implementation can help address the problem to some extent. In this informal academic calendar, all such factors like strikes by students or teachers, hartal, natural calamity, etc., should be taken into consideration.
The teachers and students will need to be serious to follow this informal academic calendar. They should be even agreeable to hold classes on Fridays and other holidays and should consent to having classes during various vacation periods to avoid loss due to factors like strike, troubles in campus, and hartal.
Many students might argue against attending classes on holidays and in vacation periods. But they should understand that they would do so in their own best interests. They would need to be motivated that if they don't attend these informal classes, they will be losing valuable time and will be lagging behind in the career race. Even they should be told that in their working life, they may have to work on Fridays sometimes. Teachers should make some sacrifice by working informally on holidays for the greater interest of the students, that is for the nation.
When taking classes in private universities, the same teachers of public universities follow academic calendar. Why cannot they implement the calendar in their own institutes? It is high time teachers and students took necessary steps to make the most of the academic years. Here lies one of the effective ways for completing academic courses and syllabuses in time.
Waheedul Haque
Jahangirnagar University
Savar, Dhaka