As the new academic session is all set to begin at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) earlier than usual in June, issues related to welfare of students continue to draw the administration and students into a debate. Students point to a slew of issues which need to be addressed before the commencement of the academic year.
Among the major changes which were introduced in the academic session 2012-13, the cut in funding for fellowships drew flak from students. The sum of `1000 per month awarded to all students pursuing integrated-masters and post-graduate courses in the university was trimmed to `750 for students of socially and economically poor backgrounds. Around 600 students were chosen for the fellowship last year and the numbers for 2013-14 are undecided.
Vice chancellor of the university Professor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy says the issue will be taken up for discussion after the commencement of the 2013-14 session. “Presently, we give scholarships to deserving candidates. There is no meaning of awarding scholarships to students from well-off families. Secondly, the source of income is a challenge because of the economic crisis university faces.” However, the exact reasons for the shrinking source of income were not mentioned.
Further, the five-year integrated course for post-graduate certificate has been a point of contention with the students enrolled in it as the course offers no option to leave the course after completing three years with a regular Bachelor’s degree. The programme aimed at ‘catching researchers young’ was started in 2006-07 and requires a re-think, by the VC’s admission. “We are thinking about exit.To allow students to stop after three years, we have to show them a clear exit point. To have a clear exit point is a challenge and for this, we have to re-structure the course.”
“If a student joins the five year integrated programme, he has to wait till the end in order to get a degree. In case he fails or quits the course in fourth or fifth year, he has to go back home with an intermediate certificate, even though he might have cleared all papers in the first three years,” says Prem Kumar, a student of M.A Sociology.
A sudden shift to the central university has been the cause for students with poor communication skills feeling left-behind. Ravi (name changed), a student of M.Sc mathematics at UoH is looking for admission to one of the State universities this year as he was unable to clear more than half of his papers. “I have not been able to cope up with the academic standards of the university as I have completed my college education in Telugu medium,” says Ravi.
Students especially from rural background observe that the medium of instruction is a major barrier for learning. Conducting remedial courses – on the lines of the one being conducted by the Physics department during summer vacations and spoken-English classes throughout the academic year, are a necessity for making the curriculum inclusive, add students.
However, the vice-chancellor observes that the option is always available to students, especially for joining the orientation programme at the university. “The inclusiveness of UoH is a fact as more than 40 per cent students belong to the less privileged sections. In many departments, students need to pay only `3000 to `4000 per semester. In the next academic year, students can join in the course three weeks before the classes start, which gives them the time to go through orientation classes. It will help students from all backgrounds to cope up with the course,” points out the Vice Chancellor.