the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa University (GU) on Friday decided to re-constitute a committee tasked with studying the issue of permitting first and second year law students of the three-year law degree programme in Goa to be promoted to the third (final) year, even if they have back-logs of the first two academic years.
The GU’s decision was taken at the Executive Council meeting and comes in the backdrop of a representation made to the Vice Chancellor by nearly a dozen students of the Kare College of Law Margao. The students have represented that the promotion/detention policy be tweaked to permit promotion to the final year despite back-logs.
The rules currently do not permit students to attend third year classes, unless they have cleared all the backs of the first two years.
This is the second time in the current academic year that law students have approached GU authorities on the issue. Earlier in August last year, students who had back-logs in the second year and were not allowed to go to the third year had urged the University to re-consider the rules for law students.
They claimed that in some other professional degree programmes of the Goa University like MBBS, Ayurveda and BEd, the rules allowed students to be promoted to the next year even if they had not cleared backs of the previous year.
“When the rules allow for students to clear the degree in six years from the time we start, why should we not be allowed to go to the third year and in the meanwhile answer our back log papers?” questioned one student who wished to remain anonymous.
Taking cognisance of the students’ demand, the University had in September 2019 formed a committee to study the matter and submit a report.
The committee handed over its report in November, rejecting the students’ demand. However, dissatisfied with the report of the Committee, which incidentally had not involved or sought their say, the students made a second petition.
This time around, the Committee is set to give the
students an opportunity to present their views, sources in the University said.
At Friday’s executive council meeting, top University officials were of the view that the rules will be changed to accept the students’ demand, if and only if, at least two other public universities in neighbouring States also allow it.
Meanwhile, if a change in the rules is in fact effected, the current batch of students are unlikely to get its benefit, and the new rules will take effect only from the upcoming academic year commencing in June.
