JOIN USPrivate II PU students face rejection for degree courses
The fate of more than 30,000 candidates across the State taking the II PU exam in private this March, hangs in balance as universities are of the view that these candidates do not meet the educational requirement of “Plus 2” to enrol for degree courses.
In fact, officials suspect that the fear of being rejected by universities could be one of the major reasons for a decrease in the number of private candidates this year.
Students who appear for PU exam in private do not attend regular classes in colleges but prepare for the exam on their own. The University Grants Commission Regulations prescribe a minimum of “Plus Two” as the educational qualification to join degree courses. Hence, the candidates should have completed either two years of PU course or any other equivalent course.
In the case of private candidates, they would not have appeared for the first PU exam but directly appear for the II PU examinations. Vice-Chancellors are of the view that this cannot be considered as “Plus Two”.
While Bangalore University has stuck to its earlier stand that it will not give admissions to these candidates for the academic year 2015-16, other vice-chancellors too do not have a favourable opinion on admitting these candidates.
In September last, Bangalore University, in its academic council meeting, decided that private candidates will not be eligible for admissions to degree courses. However, since it was the middle of the academic year and several of them had already enrolled into colleges (for 2014-15), the university permitted the students to continue with their. This time the varsity will not give admissions to such candidates, VC Prof B Thimme Gowda told Deccan Herald.
Tumkur University VC A H Rajasab too said that the regulations prescribe a minimum of two-year course work and the university would give admissions based on these regulations.
“Otherwise, how can we ascertain whether they are genuinely qualified for the degree course or not?” B R Ananthan,former VC of Rani Channamma University, Belagavi (who retired in August 2014), was also of the same view. “It is against the principle of natural justice. Some students would have put in more work by attending course work for two years,” he said.
Decline in numbers
According to statistics available with the Department of Pre-University Education, as many as 32,000 candidates will write II PU exam in private this year. The number has come down compared to the previous year when 36,000 candidates took the exam.
Under normal circumstances, the number of candidates would only have increased and not come down, officials said attributing the decrease to the candidates fearing rejection by universities.
Bangalore University brought up the issue in the middle of the academic year and hence could not do much in addressing the issue, DPUE Director Sushama Godbole said. She said that the department would constitute an expert committee to frame new syllabus for these candidates, to bring them on a par with regular candidates.
However, the revised course work would be applicable from the academic year 2016-17 and candidates writing the exam this year would not benefit.
Nonetheless, these candidates would still be eligible for government jobs that mandate PUC as the minimum educational qualification.