FOUR months after students were first surveyed on their thoughts about revising the satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) option, but the Students’ Union is still waiting for a reply on its proposal to review the policy.
Earlier this year, the Student’s Union conducted a survey to help revise the University’s current practice of its S/U option.
The option allows students to declare a percentage of their subjects to be excluded when computing the cumulative grade point average. Its aim is to give students the freedom to take electives they are interested in while not having to worry that they would not do well for the course. The existing system lets students exercise their option before they take their examinations.
A year ago, however, the National University of Singapore changed its policy on their S/U option, and allowed students to exercise their option after the release of the examination results. This made NTU students keen to have a similar system in place here as well.
The survey results showed that nearly 70 per cent of students polled want to be able to use their option after they know their examination results. The Union gathered these results last semester and submitted a proposal asking for a review of the system.
“We sent out our proposal weeks before the new term started, and we have since been reminding the relevant authority repeatedly in past weeks,” he said. “But we get a similar reply (each time), stating that the proposal is under review and consideration.”
According to Das, the “real discussion” can only take place when they meet the relevant authorities face-to-face.
Said Das: “They have to be ready on their end.”
When contacted, the Office of Academic Services said that the proposed changes need to be carefully considered but declined to reveal the exact details of its decision-making progress.
“As of now, (the situation) is uncertain because we have not met with the Union,” said a spokesperson for the OAS.
The Chronicle could not confirm when the final decision will be made, but students such as Grace Chen, 20, a third-year Chemical and Biological Engineering student, believes that progress will happen soon.
“The Union is the bridge between the administrators and the students,” she said. “I believe that they have the ability to settle this simple issue through more in-depth discussions.”