BHUBANESWAR: Three days after students of seven art colleges in the State submitted applications for their college leaving certificates protesting Utkal University of Culture’s decision to admit general candidates to PG programmes of the varsity, the authorities on Saturday issued a fresh notification on the issue.
As per the new notification, students passing from Prachin Kala Kendra and Gandharva Mahavidyalaya will not be eligible to take admission in any course under the University with immediate effect.
University Registrar Sachindra Raula said the decision was cancelled under special powers of the varsity’s VC following students’ agitation.
“There was, however, a misinterpretation among the students over the process of admission of candidates to PG courses,” Raula said.
He said according to the decision taken in academic council meeting, the graduates, who have undergone a six-month bridge course in the two organisations, would have done a one-year bridge course in the University and appeared for an entrance examination before being finally admitted to the PG programmes. “This was basically aimed at filling up the large number of vacant PG seats in various streams in the University,” he added.
Students of Bachelor in Visual Arts (BVA) of all the colleges had on Tuesday submitted applications in their respective college offices for collecting college leaving certificates. The step was taken as a mark of protest against a decision taken by the University to allow graduates from general background, having undergone bridge courses in performing arts and craft from Chandigarh-based Prachin Kala Kendra and Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Pune, to pursue PG from the varsity.
Sources said that the university officials in an academic council meeting held in November last year had reportedly taken a decision to make general graduation degree along with certificate courses from the two organisations equivalent to the BVA and BFA courses provided in the art colleges.
Accordingly, any student from the Arts, Science and Commerce background after undergoing certificate courses from Prachin Kala Kendra and Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, can pursue Post Graduate from Utkal University of Culture after clearing an entrance examination.