Left organisations in Keralam object to higher education council’s FYUGP review proposals

Raising strong objections to several recommendations in the Kerala State Higher Education Council’s (KSHEC) interim review of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP), Left-aligned service organisations have urged the council to retain the programme’s existing academic framework and avoid changes that could conflict with Outcome-Based Education (OBE), university autonomy and the statutory provisions that govern FYUGP.In a detailed policy response submitted to the KSHEC, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-backed All Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (AKPCTA) contends that several recommendations mooted by the committee that was tasked with evaluating the FYUGP continue to reflect the Choice Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS), which existed earlier, rather than the assessment architecture adopted under FYUGP.The report’s use of the concepts of “internal” and “external” evaluation is inconsistent with the Continuous Comprehensive Assessment (CCA) and End Semester Evaluation (ESE) model prescribed under FYUGP and OBE.Unnecessary ambiguityThe association has also questioned the recommendations that seek to amend university regulations where corresponding provisions already exist, while cautioning that such proposals could create unnecessary ambiguity.AKPCTA has also opposed the proposed approach to question paper design and assessment, contending that the interim report interprets assessment solely through the cognitive domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy while overlooking the affective and psychomotor domains recognised under OBE. It also objected to the supposed assumption that all courses should assess students at the highest ‘Create’ level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, claiming that such an approach is neither pedagogically appropriate nor practically feasible.‘No statutory authority’The proposal to constitute an Inter-University Board of Studies Committee has also come under scrutiny. The organisation asserted that the KSHEC functions as an advisory body and does not possess statutory authority to supersede the academic powers vested in universities under their respective Acts and Statutes. Besides, any inter-university body should remain advisory and collaborative rather than exercising binding powers over university Boards of Studies.The association has also opposed the proposal to introduce external examiners for practical examinations, saying it could disrupt academic schedules, contradict existing FYUGP regulations and undermine the credibility of faculty members in affiliated colleges. It has recommended strengthening the FYUGP Monitoring and Steering Committees that already functions in universities, instead of creating an additional Facilitation and Resolution Committee.NEP 2020AKPCTA also expressed strong opposition to the alleged attempts to introduce provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 through the FYUGP review process. It urged State government clarify its policy position on NEP 2020 before proceeding with any such measures.Among recommendations that were submitted along with its formal response, AKPCTA has sought an order on workload protection, revised workload norms and batch strength, permission to engage guest faculty for multidisciplinary courses, greater workload continuity for single-faculty departments and comprehensive faculty development programmes on OBE, learner-centred pedagogy and emerging disciplines.It also called for steps to strengthen the internship ecosystem, expand academic programmes in colleges established after 1995, synchronise admission schedules across universities and affiliated colleges, issue clear guidelines for online course credit transfer, and establish centralised grievance redressal systems.The recommendations also seek efforts to improve institutional support for course selection, enhance the K-REAP platform with timetable generation, attendance management and course allotment features, and redistribute administrative responsibilities from teachers to non-teaching staff. Published - August 31, 2026 05:25 pm IST