Mangaluru: Around 20 Mangalore University students who left degree courses midway under the National Education Policy (NEP), expecting to return later, now find that the pathway back no longer exists.The state’s shift to the State Education Policy (SEP) two years ago has left many BA and BSc students unable to resume their studies, university officials said.Several students had discontinued their studies due to marriage, health issues or financial constraints, relying on the flexibility built into the NEP framework. The transition to SEP has since created hurdles for those seeking to complete their degrees.According to officials, the problem stems from differences in course structures under the two frameworks. While some BCom and BBA students can be accommodated as subject combinations and core requirements align, the same is not possible for many BA and BSc students.MU registrar Ganesh Sanjeev said NEP and SEP differ significantly in academic design. “NEP had only two core subjects, whereas SEP has three. As a result we cannot now allow them to continue under MU as we don’t have combinations and two core subjects,” he said.Sanjeev said the university has written to the higher education department seeking a solution but has yet to receive a response.Senior officials said the issue remains unresolved. With colleges set to enter the third year under the revised framework, uncertainty persists over how to accommodate students whose academic records and credits were earned under NEP norms.As an interim measure, affected students can enrol in deemed-to-be universities that continue to follow NEP-aligned curricula or complete their studies through open and distance learning programmes.
