Principals urge Panjab varsity to allow internal evaluation for skill-based courses

Principals of Panjab University- affiliated colleges, on the basis of extensive feedback received from faculty members engaged in teaching NEP-aligned undergraduate courses, have urged the university to allow them to conduct and evaluate skill enhancement courses (SECs), value addition courses (VACs) and multi-disciplinary courses (MDC) at the college level, under institutional supervision.

Talking to this correspondent, Principal of Gobindgarh Public College, Alour, Dr Neena Seth Pajni, said these courses had a low credit weight but were highly relevant academically and practically, adding, “Given their nature—often interdisciplinary, skill-based and continuous assessment-oriented—we believe they can be best conducted and evaluated at the college level under strict academic supervision.”

“As college principals, we are fully committed to the successful implementation of the NEP. We understand the importance of maintaining high academic standards and have assured the university that we will uphold the integrity of the examination process. We have assured complete transparency in recording attendance, defining evaluation criteria and awarding internal marks. Furthermore, the submission of final marks to the university’s Examination Branch in the prescribed format have been assured to be strictly within the stipulated timelines,” Dr Pajni added.

“The internalisation would reduce administrative burden on the Controller of Examinations office for minor-credit courses across a large student base and also reduce date-sheet clashes. This year’s date sheet spanned over 45 days, marked by numerous scheduling clashes, followed by multiple rescheduling, which caused significant disruption,” Principal of Govind National College, Narangwal, Dr Sandeep Shawney added.

We hope that our request will be considered in the interest of academic efficiency,” opined Dr Ajit Kaur, Principal, Ramgarhia Girls College, Ludhiana.

Principal, Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women Ludhiana Dr Maneeta Kahlon said, “The internal assessment shall allow colleges to ensure timely and efficient assessments, suited to the practical and dynamic nature of SECs, VACs and MDCs. It will facilitate improved monitoring and personalised assessment under direct faculty supervision.”

“It will align with practices in leading institutions like Delhi University, where such evaluations are decentralised and streamlined. The internal evaluation of such courses shall enhance the quality of assessment and encourage innovation in teaching-learning methods,” the principal added.