Pay Attention , UGC! UGC NET English Syllabus and Few Obvious Questions

'I know myself,' he cried, 'but that is all.'

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940)

U.S. writer.

This Side of Paradise

In late June 2012, the UGC adopted the new exam pattern but the UGC NET English Syllabus remains the same. Naturally so, for the all-important UGC NET English examination students face the burden of learning instead of the fun inherit in it.  The UGC NET authorities, apparently accepting the change in EXAM PATTERN, continue to recognize the validity of the vast wisdom (?). I plead UGC NET authorities to drop such huge burden of English Literature Learning. Presently, one of the crucial issues facing by the students is an improbable doubling of its exam phobia. The authorities recently expressed the aim of increasing passing candidates by a factor of objective method. With this potential growth of practical need why should the students carry such a huge load of syllabus? 

With due permission from my students, I like to share the following mail from one of students of blogspot. Just read it and try to measure the depth of the student’s agony. However I have missed out the name of my student for some obvious reasons.

“Dear Sir,

I am a candidate of UGC Net English Literature Examination since 2010, and have been a continuous reader and a big admirer of your blogspot especially meant for English Literature aspirants as it has helped me and others a lot, for which I thank you on behalf of others and myself.

Coming to the point I would like to put forth a problem which we (English Literature) candidates are facing, is the problem of vagueness of the currently prescribed syllabus. Sir when we compare our syllabus to syllabus of all other Language subjects like Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali etc of UGC Net, it is evident that they are more specific and to the point as compared to our English Language. We find main Authors, poets, critics along with their works to be studied being prescribed in well form, but its not the same with us, its like an English Literature candidate has to study, as one of my friend said, " all the English literature books that exists under this blue sky".

Visit: Official Site of  UGC

Its a sort of differentiation with us, that is why the success ratio has never been to the mark for us, and just seems a matter of being passed luck by chance. Moreover now the bar of selection criteria has been raised to merit basis. All our hard work just seems to be in vain, because it's just not practically possible to read each and every English Literature work, being equivalent to "counting of all the stars shining in the dark sky with naked eyes".

I know Sir now a question is arising in your mind why I have written this email to you, it is just because when I went through your blog a sense of likeliness and of being helpful was felt to me. Thus I felt it correct to put our problem before you, and seek your precious guidance with reference to this problem, whom to contact or make our voice audible, in order to get a rational amendment in our English Literature syllabus in which main writers, poets, etc along with their works should be specified just like being mentioned in other language subjects, so that our painstaking effort would just not end to nothing. Its a request Sir, kindly acknowledge my letter if you read this email and bring forth your helping hand with regard to this matter. 

Thanking you and awaiting for your response

yours faithfully

************

Enclosed: syllabus of English, Hindi and Sanskrit.”

DATED: Tuesday, 2 July 2013 

Link:

1.      UGC NET English Syllabus

2.      UGC NET Sanskrit Syllabus

3.      UGC NET Bengali  Syllabus

4.      UGC NET Hindi  Syllabus

Going through the whole text I would suggest few points of concern:

1. Even though it is right that  the UGC NET English should be strictly distinguished from the other teacher-ship exam,  it is an art of interpretation, more difficult   in this respect : that the students must interpret the  original text in a medium never contemplated by its students before. I mean, is their any survey done on the capability and utility of English studies in U. G. and P. G. level? Totaling all the syllabi of  U. G. and P. G. level in Indian universities is too small to UGC NET English Syllabus.   It looks quite unfair.

 

2. Passing UGC NET English requires, at its best, an exacting and imaginative scholarship,
for students must understand  text in its fullest and most living sense. But dear, what text? Let the students be allowed to give a clear voice to their learning that would else be dumb or quite muffled if UGC NET English Syllabus is not reconstructed.

What do you think?

 Ardhendu De