Pre-Covid attendance norms back in colleges

Mysuru: With offline classes in colleges returning to pre-Covid levels and academic activities returning to normalcy, the Department of Pre-University Education (PUE) has decided to make 75% attendance mandatory for students to appear for I and II PUC final examinations.
Along with this, 100% syllabus has been made compulsory and the final examination question paper pattern will be similar to the pre-Covid 19 period. In 2022, students were given more options in each part of the question paper.
During 2020-2021, all I and II PUC students were promoted. The following academic year, syllabus of the language subjects was cut by 30% while, the question paper was made liberal with more options in each segment.
“75% attendance is mandatory this year. The full syllabus will be covered for the examination,” said Ramachandran R, director, PUE.
According to authorities, last year the attendance rule was removed as a few colleges were opting for online classes, and there was an atmosphere of uncertainty. at the beginning of the new academic year, all students are advised to attend classes regularly as this rule is back, they said.
No change in paper pattern
The PU department decided to continue the old question paper pattern which was followed before the outbreak of Covid-19. In 2022, the question paper pattern was changed with more options for students to ensure they will score more marks and Covid-19 related challenges will not affect their academic progress.
For example, earlier in Part A of the Physics final exam paper for II PUC, students were asked to answer all the 10 questions. These are one-mark questions. However, in the 2022 final examination, students were told to answer 10 out of 15 questions. In Part B, students were supposed to answer five out of eight questions. But in 2022, students needed to answer any five of 10 questions for the same marks.
“The allotted marks were the same in every part. But the number of questions increased to ensure the students would score well,” said an official. Yet, the pass percentage dropped in many districts, a principal of a PU College said.
Meanwhile, the students are happy with the department’s decision. “Offline classes are now carried out in full-fledged way. So, there is no need for any relaxation of attendance norms. We need to prepare for all India-level admission tests,” said Sujaya D, a city student.