TIRUCHY: Around two lakh students who completed their course in colleges under Bharathidasan University over the past two years are forced to put the dreams that come with a sound education on hold as the varsity is yet to hold its convocation, prolonging their wait for their degree certificate.
The university’s tatkal system introduced to facilitate speedy issuance of degree certificates is also of no avail, complaint students.
Students of around 150 colleges affiliated with the university in nine districts - Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Karur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai – who completed their course in the academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22 are yet to receive their degree certificate, sources said.
Wanting to apply for higher education, J Raouf, who completed B Com from MIET Arts and Science College in 2022, said he tried to avail of the university’s tatkal facility to obtain his degree certificate. "I even paid Rs 3,000 that they demanded but I didn’t get a proper response from the university," he added. We were asked to use the provisional certificates provided at the college instead but colleges abroad and employers demand for the degree certificate, he also said. S Jakubar Ali, whose son completed BSc Computer Science last year from Jamal Mohamed College in Tiruchy, said the latter’s efforts for securing a job with a company in Singapore went in vain over a lack of submission of his degree certificate.
"When I tried to avail of the tatkal facility, they (the university authorities) told that the convocation would be held in a few days," he added. Members of Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) led by Ahmed Rizwan on Monday submitted a petition with the university registrar urging to organise the convocation at the earliest so that the students can pursue higher education or secure jobs. When contacted, M Selvam, vice chancellor of the university, said, "In the recent vice-chancellors’ meet, we appealed to the governor to provide a date for the convocation. I am sure that it would be held within a month."