No exemption from selection of minor courses this year, says CU Registrar

The authorities at Calicut University (CU) have sought to clear the reported confusion over the selection of minor (subsidiary) courses for the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP) in affiliated colleges.

In a circular to college principals issued on July 14, Dinoj Sebastian, Registrar, said that students pursuing major (main) courses with minor courses must choose all of them from two minor groups offered by a discipline other than their major discipline.

Mr. Sebastian pointed out that the directive followed the recent amendments to certain clauses in the regulations for the FYUGP and their subsequent approval by the university’s Academic Council and the Senate. The circular said that the students pursuing FYUGP, including those programmes which were previously granted certain exemptions from the selection of minor courses, would not be permitted to choose them in their major discipline, from the 2025 academic year.

Earlier this month, Vice-Chancellor (V-C) P. Raveendran had set up a committee to address the alleged practical difficulties in the selection of minor courses under the FYUGP in small colleges and in specific subjects such as commerce. Some teachers’ organisations had pointed out that the revision of the clauses in the FYUGP regulations would curtail the students’ freedom to choose minor courses in a different discipline from the same department that offers the major (main) course. They also claimed that the revision would force students to pick minor courses they might not like to study, and this was likely to happen in small colleges offering a limited number of subjects.

Mr. Sebastian told The Hindu on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) that the circular was issued to clear the air over the issue. “The committee is looking into the concerns raised over the selection of minor courses. If it proposes any exemptions for certain colleges, it will be examined in future course,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA) claimed that the Registrar had shown an unwanted hurry to issue the circular. It was issued just ahead of a proposed meeting of the committee. KPCTA functionaries urged the V-C to put the circular on hold till the committee submit its proposals.