Students and faculty under Mangalore University (MU) will once again face a harsh summer this academic year, as no changes have been made to the academic calendar.
The second, fourth, and sixth semesters will commence on February 10 and continue until the end of May, the peak of the summer season. The academic calendar of MU, along with other state universities, was disrupted post-pandemic. Despite repeated demands from students and faculty to revert to the pre-pandemic annual calendar, where no classes were held during the peak summer—these requests have yet to be implemented.
Last year was challenging, and the same is likely to happen again this year. Mangalore University, along with the state government, must take steps to avoid holding classes during the summer, said Jayakar Bhandary, Principal of Dr P Dayananda Pai P Satisha Pai Government First Grade College, Carstreet.
If the semester is reduced by a month, it would facilitate a return to the pre-Covid academic calendar. Additionally, MU should expedite the examination process and complete all related procedures within a month, suggested another principal of a govt first-grade college, noting the challenges of conducting classes during the peak summer season.
The harsh summer impacted both students and faculty. Many were absent post-noon, and several fell ill on campus due to the extreme heat, shared the principal of a first-grade college in Udupi.
H Devendrappa, Registrar (Evaluation), MU, indicated that returning to the pre-Covid academic schedule poses significant challenges. Under the current approach, it could take nearly five years to normalise the calendar. The university plans to complete the first, third, and fifth semester examinations by December. Successfully meeting this target could pave the way for restoring the traditional academic calendar.