Thrissur: Students at Kerala Kalamandalam are facing difficulties as postgraduate courses continue well beyond their scheduled duration.

The final-semester examination for the 2023 batch was completed only last week. Students will have to wait further for the results and final certificates. The course was scheduled to be completed in 2025.

The third-semester examination of the 2024 batch was also held only in recent days. Students in this batch are expected to lose at least a year, while the second-semester examination of the 2025 batch is yet to be conducted.

Students say the delay has reached a point where some of their former classmates, who studied with them during their undergraduate course, have completed postgraduate studies at other universities and are now coming to Kalamandalam as teachers.

In the postgraduate Carnatic music classes, a student who had been their classmate during their undergraduate studies reportedly joined this academic year as a guest lecturer.

According to the students, postgraduate courses are being completed on schedule at universities outside Kerala. They say the problem is particularly disappointing for those who chose to continue their studies at Kalamandalam.

The prolonged courses are affecting students' plans for further studies, including research, as well as their employment opportunities. Students also say that many talented candidates are reluctant to seek admission because they cannot complete their courses on time.

Except for the dance department, postgraduate programmes at Kalamandalam have only four seats each. Despite the limited intake, student numbers remain low.

In some courses, not even a single student has enrolled, students say.

Classes by experts in various art forms and teachers from outside the institution are part of the syllabus. Kalamandalam authorities have cited delays in conducting such classes as one of the reasons for the courses extending beyond their scheduled duration.

Kalamandalam examination department controller P.V. Shinoj said efforts were being made to address the issue.

"The delay has been there since the semester system was introduced. We have been trying to resolve the issue. The examinations are being delayed because the courses are extending," Shinoj said.