PU’s self-financed coursesface enrolment challenges

Patna: Even as both the central and state govts have been emphasising on the need of introducing job-oriented courses in higher educational institutions, several such programmes running under self-financed scheme in Patna University (PU) are experiencing challenges due to shortage of students. The number of applications received for admissions to various self-financed (vocational) courses at the postgraduation (PG) level in the current session clearly indicates that accept a few “sunrise” courses like LLB, LLM, computer applications and library science, most other courses have failed to attract an appreciable number of students.

As per the data provided by PU’s dean of students’ welfare (DSW) Anil Kumar, only four students have applied for admissions to MA in women’s studies. The number of applications received for PG diploma course in women’s studies is just two. The number of sanctioned seats in both these courses is 60 each. Similarly, only seven aspirants have applied for admissions against 50 seats in PG diploma in human resource development.The number of applications received in several other courses, including MA in rural studies, master in social work, music and PG diploma in yogic studies is also much less than the number of sanctioned seats. In such circumstances, the university will not hold any entrance test for admission in these courses. In all such courses, where the number of applications received is less than 150% of the sanctioned seats, students will be admitted only on the basis of personal interview, the DSW said. PU had introduced nearly three dozen job-oriented courses under self-financing scheme in 2007-08 after the formal approval of the Raj Bhavan, but half of these courses were closed sooner or later. Some of these ‘dead’ courses include M Sc in applied microbiology, M Sc in biodiversity, MA in finance and control, MA in education, M Sc in aquaculture, MA in anthropology, MA in criminology, M Sc in herbal chemistry and PG diploma courses in spoken Persian, Urdu journalism and mass communication, water resource management, actuarial science and remote sensing and GIS besides at least half a dozen certificate courses. Spelling out the reasons behind closure of all such courses, PU’s former vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh said the vocational courses at most places are not being conducted properly primarily due to the absence of full-time faculty and lack of placement cell. A few years ago, the chancellor’s advisory committee had reportedly recommended for appointment of at least three core faculty members in each vocational or self-financing course, but that is yet to be implemented. Neither did the universities approach the state govt for sanctioning of posts for the newly introduced vocational courses, nor did the govt initiate measures for improving the quality of education being imparted to the students admitted to these courses, Singh said.PU psychology department’s head Sheo Sagar Prasad said unless adequate library and laboratory facilities were created and placement cells were set up for the students, these courses would continue to have a bleak future and there will hardly be any taker for them.