After multiple representations from student bodies, Anna University has decided to give candidates one last chance to clear their pending arrears. Candidates who have pending arrears between the 2011 Regulations to now can clear this once and for all at the end of this year.
According to one report in The Hindu, a group of students had met with the Higher Education Minister last year requesting a chance to clear their arrears. The Minister reportedly recommended their case to the university. The Registrar of the University J Kumar told the newspaper, “This year, however, the syndicate on its own took up the issue. We found that there are around 30,000 to 40,000 students, including the affiliated colleges, who have arrears.”
According to one report in The New Indian Express, Vice-Chancellor MK Surappa said, “We are giving one last opportunity to the students, who did not manage to complete the course due to backlog of arrears, by conducting special exam for them. The students should study well, clear their arrears and get their degrees as it is their last chance to complete the course.”
Normally, students are expected to complete the four-year undergraduate course within seven years. The exam to be held in November-December 2019, however, will be applicable to both undergraduate and postgraduate candidates with arrears. The candidates will also be liable to pay a special fee in addition to the regular exam fees.
Meanwhile, the university has also decided to hike tuition fees for the upcoming academic year. According to one report in the Times of India, students may have to shell out Rs 20,000 per annum as opposed to the existing Rs 8,500.
The move to hike the fees after two decades is reportedly owing to the university’s deficit between revenue and expenditure. “Despite the proposed increase, the tuition fees are still on the lower side when compared to other technical institutions and central government institutions,” the Registrar told the newspaper.