Alongside grades, marks should also feature in the mark lists of degree courses in universities, the B Hridayakumari Committee, which reviewed the Choice-Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS), has recommended.
The committee was appointed by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) and it submitted its report to KSHEC vice-chairman T P Sreenivasan on Tuesday.
A seven-point indirect grading system in the place of the five-point direct grading system both for internal and external examinations and autonomy to selected affiliated colleges top the other major recommendations.
A recommendation is that colleges should conduct the first, third and fifth semester examinations with question papers and false numbers issued by the university. The papers must be valued by teachers who have more than three years of experience. Universities will directly conduct the second, fourth and sixth semester examinations. For core subjects and English, the committee has suggested a partial return to the annual system.
Here, two semesters each should be considered a single study-and-examination unit. But additional languages, complementary, electives and open course will follow the current system.
Other drastic changes recommended are in the case of the internal valuation. The committee has suggested one test paper, seminar and assignment each for every paper per semester. It will have a maximum of 20 marks and five will be for attendance.
An open university should be established for catering to private candidates, the Committee has recommended. This, the committee said, will ease matters for the universities.
The committee has also suggested that the one-month vacation after each semester be replaced with an annual vacation during April and May. The ideal teacher-student ration, according to the committee was 1:30. This should be ensured, the committee report said.