Teachers? paucity at AU, students in the lurch

DESPITE THE University Grants Commission demanding at least 180 classes in the academic year, many departments of Allahabad University have not even completed 40 classes this year. Now, with the final examinations of undergraduate courses starting from March 11, students are having a hard time completing the syllabus.

DESPITE THE University Grants Commission demanding at least 180 classes in the academic year, many departments of Allahabad University have not even completed 40 classes this year. Now, with the final examinations of undergraduate courses starting from March 11, students are having a hard time completing the syllabus.

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“With half of the examiners and paper setters from outside, students are bound to have a tough time during the examinations. The situation is worse for BA-II students of English Literature, Political Science and Ancient History. The situation can be gauged from the fact that in the English Department, there is no teacher to teach Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’. Both these works constitute 35 marks of compulsory questions in the exams,” said former member of the AU executive council Vijay Kumar Sinha.

He said he had met the AU vice-chancellor a month back and apprised him of the situation, but nothing was done in this regard.

Sinha has sought details of the classes held for BA-II students of English Literature, Political Science and Ancient History under the Right to Information Act, and submitted an application in this regard to the AU chief public information officer Prof Amrendra Singh on Friday.