Savitribai Phule Pune University promises students to address UGC’s term limit norm, PRN row

The development follows a sit-in protest staged by a group of students last month, demanding the unblocking of their PRNs to enable them to complete their final-year examinations. The protest, which lasted 12 hours, drew attention to the plight of students who exceeded the maximum term limit of N+2+1 years, as prescribed by the UGC.

The protesting students argued that they were unaware of the term validity rule when they re-enrolled after personal and financial setbacks. University officials maintained that the rule was implemented following a 2015 UGC notification and reiterated their inability to override the regulation.

Mahesh Kakde, SPPU’s director of examinations, stated that while the university has supported thousands of students with backlogs, the UGC’s rigid stance on this matter limits their intervention.

One engineering student, who enrolled in 2017 but had to discontinue studies for financial reasons after one year, mentioned that many students who took admission in 2017-18 and later discontinued due to various reasons were not informed about the PRN blocking rule when they rejoined college.

“There are students who enrolled in 2013 and for the next ten years till 2023, their terms continued without blocking their PRN ID. However, such decisions have not only caused mental harassment for students but will also place an additional financial burden on their families,” he said.

“After receiving their written assurance on November 29, we called off our protest, which had resumed on November 25 after the model code of conduct ended,” he added.

In response, Kakde stated that there is no assurance to resolve the issue, as it is beyond the university’s authority. “Only the UGC can take action on this, and we can’t. We can’t do anything that is beyond our control. However, we have assured them in writing that we will try our best to get it done. That’s it,” Kakde said.

The written assurance has provided some hope to the affected students, though they continue to await a conclusive resolution from the UGC.