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| May 21, 2005 | Saturday | Rabi-us-Sani 12, 1426 |
English course upsets varsity students
PESHAWAR, May 20: Students of the University of Peshawar are in a quandary about a newly introduced subject, Functional English, because the marks obtained in it are likely to be added to the aggregate. The students say the inclusion of Functional English in the BA & BSc Honours programme is a late decision and they are facing problems in learning the subject.
The classes started as late as in April while non-availability of the prescribed book in the market is compounding their difficulties.
They complain that teachers have not yet taught them what Functional English is about.
“The subject has been thrust upon us. This is an extra burden,” a group of students from the Economics department told Dawn.
The course is part of the three-year BA & BSc Honours programme launched by the university to bring education standards on a par with international standards.
A committee constituted by the university’s vice-chancellor and tasked to design syllabus, set paper-pattern and interview teachers, has allocated 100 marks for the subject, a university professor said.
Teachers and students, on the other hand, are not sure whether the marks obtained in Functional English will count towards their total marks (Detailed Marks Certificate or DMC), students said.
The teachers of the subject are not in a position to give us a definitive answer to this question, they add.
“But one thing is clear. Students would not be able to get their degree unless they cleared the paper,” a teacher of Functional English said.
Another teacher quoted the registrar and chairman of syllabus committee as telling teachers that Functional English was a compulsory subject so its marks should be included in the DMC.
He said securing full marks in the subject was not possible so the inclusion of the subject in the degree programme will have an effect on the overall grade of students.
The university has appointed eight teachers on a contract basis to teach the subject in various departments.
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