VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh’s first government degree college for hearing-impaired students at Vedullapalli in Bapatla district will begin its first academic session in the second week of September, with the State putting in place a 14-member staff and 30 seats in B.Com. Computer Applications.
The college has received 17 applications and will admit students from across AP and applicable reservation norms. It will also offer a certification course in Artificial Intelligence. The college may introduce a BBA programme from the next academic year.
Director, Welfare of Differently Abled, Transgender & Senior Citizens, Andhra Pradesh, M Venugopal Reddy, said, “Nearly 400 students come out of Intermediate every year across the State. So far, they have had to depend on their parents or guardians to join the few colleges run by NGOs. There is no government degree college for them.”
The college will have 10 teaching and four non-teaching staff, including seven faculty for B.Com. Computer Applications and three sign-language interpreters. It will initially function from the existing 19-acre campus. The government has proposed a separate college building and hostel costing Rs 18 crore and released Rs 24.70 lakh for an air-conditioned, Wi-Fi-enabled computer laboratory.
The State government is establishing the college under the Indradanussu - Inclusive Development Programme for Persons with Disabilities, which aims to improve accessibility, inclusive education and opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Reddy said the department chose B.Com. Computer Applications instead of the initially proposed BA programme to improve students’ employment prospects. The college will affiliate with Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) and provide placement support. The new institution will offer a dedicated higher education option to hearing-impaired students who often discontinue their studies after Intermediate or join regular colleges without adequate learning facilities.
The existing campus has educated hearing-impaired students since 1987, when it started with 50 students. It now has a sanctioned strength of 230 students.