LAHORE, June 23: All departments and constituent colleges of the Punjab University have been directed to switch to the semester system, it is learnt. Officials told Dawn on Thursday that the PU administration had asked all the departments and constituent colleges to adopt the semester system as early as possible according to their requirements.

They said the decision had been taken on the instructions of the Punjab governor, who is also the chancellor of the university. The governor during his visit to the PU last month had asked the vice-chancellor to introduce the semester system to streamline and improve standard of education.

The semester system is currently being implemented in some departments and constituent colleges while others are following the annual examination system.

Interestingly, the PU’s mass communication department and the Hailey College are among those where both semester and annual examination systems are in vogue.

The semester system is regarded by the administration as more effective for proper evaluation of students, who otherwise get through the examinations by rote-learning.

Some PU teachers told this reporter that the administration should have left the decision of introducing either semester or annual system to the departments and constituent colleges.

“Unless the administration appoints an assistant controller for every department and constituent college besides providing at least six junior and senior clerks to compile results with each of them, the semester system will fail,” they averred.

They said the faculty was not ready to adopt the system as it lacked required training. “The university must develop a mechanism first and then switch to the semester system,” they suggested.

“To maintain transparency in the semester system results is very hard and there is no secrecy in it. Politics in the faculty members is also a hindrance,” the added.

The semester system, they said, empowered both students and teachers. The former can file a complaint against a teacher on the instigation of his\her colleagues and similarly, a teacher can victimize students.

It may, however, be mentioned that the PU had experimented with the semester system some two decades ago, which could not be continued for a second year. When contacted, PU registrar Prof Dr Naeem Khan said the university would train teachers to ensure the success of the semester system. “We will conduct training workshops on a regular basis from next month,” he said.