After Ganeshostav holiday, weekend classes await students

After the 11-day break for Ganeshostav, students have returned to colleges to find a busy academic schedule, including classes on weekends. Colleges

After the 11-day break for Ganeshostav, students have returned to colleges to find a busy academic schedule, including classes on weekends. Colleges have planned extra lectures to make up time lost to the holidays.

Sections of fifth semester curriculum (for final-year degree students) are still pending and colleges are worried as these students have less than a month to go before their board exams begin in October. (Hindustan Times)

Sections of fifth semester curriculum (for final-year degree students) are still pending and colleges are worried as these students have less than a month to go before their board exams begin in October.

“We had no choice but to call for extra lectures. Our students didn’t complain about the extra lectures,” said Anju Kapoor, principal of UPG College, Vile Parle. She added that many professors have planned lectures on Sundays to catch up with the curriculum.

“Board exams for certain courses start within three weeks, and we want to be sure our students are well prepared,” she added.

The decision to set aside a six-day off for the Ganesh festival was taken by the academic council of the University of Mumbai in March and was approved by the management council.

The holidays — when combined with bank offs, including Bakrid and weekends — gave students a long break. Anticipating the problem, some colleges had started classes earlier than usual in June this year.

“Our college usually begins by the third week of June, but this year we started classes by June 5 itself so our professors have enough time to finish the portion. We still have been attending extra lectures on Sundays for revision,” said Abhishek Dalvi, a student of RD National College, Bandra.

St Andrew’s College in Bandra is sticking to its original plan of holding college examinations for their second-year students from October 1.

“Our professors are holding extra lectures for third-year students on Sundays for revisions and we also need to make sure that students get two-three weeks of preparation time before the board examinations begin,” said Dinesh Panjwani, principal of RD National College in Bandra.

He added that this year many colleges worked their lecture schedule keeping in mind the long holidays. “We had a few extra or remedial classes this year to pre-empt the effect of the long Ganeshotsav break,” he said.