Tamang set to meet North Bengal Varsity authorities to resolve impasses

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 21 Aug 2018 , Darjeeling: Binay Tamang, chairman, Board of Administrators, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, will convene a meeting with the authorities of University of North Bengal and principals of various hill colleges affiliated to the university on September 8 at the Lalkothi, the GTA secretariat in Darjeeling.

The meeting is aimed at finding a solution to the impasses that have cropped up, with the university having introduced the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

College authorities apprehend that the winter vacations will have to be done away with, under the CBCS.

Hill college students, anticipating multiple problems, especially in winters, had appealed for intervention by both the state government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

The students of Southfield College (formerly Loreto College, Darjeeling), recently submitted memorandums to the MLA, Darjeeling and chairman, GTA, requesting them to take up the matter with the state government.

"The meeting will be attended by the Vice-Chancellor, registrar and secretary, Undergraduate Council of the University of North Bengal. The GTA aims at creating a conducive environment for students, hence the meeting has been convened to find a way out," stated Tamang.

The GTA had written to the university for a meeting to resolve the impasse. In reply, the registrar, University of North Bengal, in a letter dated August 20, confirmed the participation of the university authorities on September 8.

"The University of North Bengal has to conduct all the undergraduate examinations for its affiliated colleges, irrespective of locations of the hills and the plains. The stipulation of 90 teaching days per semester have the mandate of the UGC, which has to be followed while the undergraduate examinations are conducted," stated the letter.

The letter further stated that the university believes in deliberations and democratic practices. "The Vice-Chancellor shall certainly hear from the hill college principals to resolve the issue in the joint meeting," added the letter.

Under the CBCS system, examinations will be held every six months. Sessions will be from July to December and from January to June. The duration of each class will be for an hour, with 5 classes a day. There is no break in this system.

Under the annual system, the hill colleges would break for winter recess in January and restart in mid-February.

"We are anticipating curtailment of winter recess to accommodate this new system. This will cause numerous complications for students, especially girls," stated Dipika Thapa, student representative, Southfield College.