Varsities shut door on HPU students

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 18

Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) has taken the credit of becoming the first university to implement the Rashtriya Uchhtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for undergraduate courses, but the future of graduates is at stake as their forms for admissions to postgraduate courses are not been accepted by universities in other states.

Alisha, Ayushi and Ankit Joshi, B.Sc students of Government College, Sanjauli, with chemistry as the major subject, had applied in Delhi University, Panjab University and Banaras Hindu University for admissions to master courses.

But their forms have been rejected because B.Sc with “pure sciences” is a must for admission to master course. It implies that with chemistry as major subject, the minor subjects should be physics and mathematics or physics or botany or zoology.

Forms of several students of sixth semester, who had applied for MA and MSc courses outside the state, have been rejected and six students of Sanjauli college have brought it to the notice of teachers and the administration.

Introducing Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) from the 2013 academic session, HP University allowed students with chemistry as main subject to opt for mathematics or physics as first minor subject and further gave the option to choose public administration, geography, sociology or any other subject as second minor subject.

Himachal Government College Teachers Association general secretary Dr RL Sharma said being a stakeholder, the association had informed the state government of the situation. It had expressed apprehensions about the fallout of hasty implementation of RUSA in 2013 also, but no heed was paid.

Sharma said utter confusion prevailed over the credit points under the CBCS system in the undergraduate courses as the credit points which were earlier 120 (including 56 major, 40 minor, 9 compulsory, one hobby and 14 additional) have been reduced to 106 (which include 48 major, 48 minor, nine compulsory and one hobby). Now, it is uncertain that the students who have taken 40 minor would be given the degree or not. Moreover, there is ambiguity over eligibility of these students for admission to B.Ed courses, he added.

Pro Vice-Chancellor of HPU Prof Rajinder Chauhan, who was apprised of the issue today, said the problem cropped up as other universities had not switched over to the new system.

“We would take up the issue at the meeting on RUSA on February 24 and meeting of the Academic Council on February 25, besides informing the Education Secretary about it”, he said, adding that the students of the sixth subject, who had taken non-science subjects as minors, would be asked to take science subject as minor in the last semester to avoid any complications.