The second-semester examinations for first-year postgraduate students of Barkatullah University (BU) will begin on November 4 and continue till November 19. As per university sources, more than 35,000 students from nearly 250 affiliated colleges will appear across over 50 examination centres in eight districts under the university’s jurisdiction. The university has released the timetable for PG 2nd and 4th Semester examinations on its official portal, bubhopal.ac.in, and has also issued a separate revised timetable for the Value Added Course (VAC).

 

This is the first time students will have to appear for a VAC paper. Under the new PG Ordinance 14(2), aligned to the National Education Policy 2020 and the UGC’s Curriculum and Credit Framework of June 2024, every second-semester PG student must complete a compulsory two-credit value-added course. The Higher Education Department has offered courses including Employment and Entrepreneurship Skills, Stress Management through Yoga and Meditation, Business Analytics,

 

Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Artificial Intelligence and Research Writing Skills. However, students allege the syllabus for MA, MSc, MCom and Home Science was uploaded on the website only days before the examination. They say regular classes were not held for these subjects, and study material is not available in the market. Teachers also say they received no clear guidelines for teaching the new course. The university administration has not yet clarified the delay. With the examination starting tomorrow, students are demanding model papers, immediate academic support, and leniency in evaluation for the first attempt.