MADURAI: Scores of office goers, teachers, businessmen, homemakers and many others have one thing in common these days: Worry. Worry that their hopes of landing a job, getting a long-awaited promotion, or taking up work with better pay may fall through. Ask them why and they will unite in pointing their fingers firmly at the epicentre of that worry -- the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU).
According to sources, the university has yet to issue a notification for the semester examination of those enroled in various courses offered by the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) of MKU -- 12 undergraduate programmes and 10 postgraduate programmes.
The university normally conducts the examinations for these courses in the months of May and December, with a notification sent to each student at least a month before. This year, however, there is no sign of any notification whatsoever.
When asked, the university's Vice-Chancellor M Krishan was quick to dispel fears by saying that the MKU-DDE would issue a notification this month itself and that the DDE students would have their examinations in January 2020.
He said the university was awaiting approval from the University Grants Commission's Distance Education Board (UGC-DEB) for turning the examination pattern of the 22 DDE courses from yearly to semester pattern from academic year 2019-20 onwards, hence the delay.
The university is also awaiting the approval of the DEB for three new DDE courses - M A Sociology, M A Public Administration, and M A Tamil.
Those affected
Many students from the DDE believe that this bureaucratic quagmire would have a domino effect on their future plans. Most of these students are office goers, businessmen, teachers and homemakers who want to continue their education through MKU-DDE.
They think this would affect their chances of joining a new courses next academic year.
Vimala, a teacher working in a government school, says, "When exams are in May and December, teachers are able to prepare and attend the exams during the half-yearly holidays and annual holidays. Once the holidays are over, it is very difficult for us to take leave to attend exams."