Calicut varsity allows students to pick minor courses from allied disciplines

The University of Calicut has allowed its affiliated colleges to offer minor (subsidiary) courses from disciplines allied with major (main) courses under the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP). An order for the purpose was issued by the Vice-Chancellor on September 11, following the recommendations of an academic steering committee.

The order states that colleges are permitted to offer minor courses from allied disciplines, irrespective of whether they are offered as major programmes in the institutions. In such cases, it shall be ensured that the faculty of the department concerned possess the requisite qualifications prescribed for teaching the allied disciplines.

Students pursuing Commerce may opt for minor courses from the Management discipline. Departments of Commerce are authorised to offer minor courses included in the syllabus prepared by the Board of Studies in Management (undergraduate courses), even to students pursuing Commerce as their major discipline. Students of Afsal-ul-Ulama may opt for minor courses from Arabic or Functional Arabic; those of Functional English may opt for minor courses from English and vice versa; those of Functional Hindi may opt for minor courses from Hindi and vice versa; and students of Travel and Tourism may opt for minor courses from Hotel Management and vice versa.

In colleges offering fewer programmes, students can choose minor courses from English, other languages, and a major discipline (other than their own) offered by the college, in addition to the provision mentioned above. For example, in a college offering BA English, BSc Mathematics, and BCom, minors can be chosen from the baskets of English, Malayalam, Hindi, Arabic, Sanskrit, and other languages; as well as Mathematics, Commerce, Functional English, Functional Hindi, Statistics, and Management.

In colleges offering only the BA programme in Afsal-ul-Ulama, minors can be offered from the baskets of English, Functional English, Hindi/Functional Hindi, Malayalam, and Arabic/Functional Arabic. In colleges offering a single programme, such as BA Music, students can choose minors from English and other languages. Autonomous colleges and affiliated self-financing colleges may appoint qualified faculty to offer minors that are beneficial to the students.

The university had earlier decided not to allow students to choose minor courses from subjects related to their major courses. Teachers’ organisations affiliated with the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League raised concerns, claiming this would force students to pick courses they might not wish to study. The issue was also raised at multiple forums, including the Senate. A committee was later formed to address these concerns.