Honours courses return

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Thiruvananthapuram: Malayali students don’t have to go to metro cities any more to seek Honours courses.
 
The defunct Honours programme is being brought back by the Directorate of Collegiate Education in five select colleges during the current academic year, 2013-14.
 
The government has issued orders allowing students these options: B.Sc. (Hons) in Mathematics in Thalassery Brennen College, B.Com (Hons) in Palakkad Victoria College, BA (Hons) in Economics in Maharaja's College and BA (Hons) in English in the  Women’s College, Thiruvananthapuram.
 
The proposal to start the Honours programme was recommended by the State Planning Board in the four government colleges which have been selected for conversion into centres of excellence during the 12th plan.
 

According to a top DoCE official, the  qualification for applying for the course will be a pass in the higher secondary or equivalent course with 70 percent marks in the general category, 60 percent for SC and 55 percent for ST students.
 
“Each subject shall have an intake of 30 students. The advantage of Honours course is that the syllabi will have more of current affairs along with the routine topics. It will be the government which will be arranging internship for students,”   a top DOCE official told DC.
 
A co-ordinator for each subject will be appointed for designing the vision of the course at UGC rate of Rs 40, 000. 
 
The co-ordinators will be appointed by a selection committee consisting of higher education secretary, director and additional director of DoCE, principal of the college concerned and head of the department of the subject concerned. 
 
In the specialized areas, specialist faculties will be hired at UGC’s consolidated rate of Rs 30, 000 per month. A centralised pre-orientation training will be conducted in Thiruvananthapuram for the faculty. However, from the next academic year onwards students will be chosen only after a written exam.