BU puts foot down on programme closure

Course correction

According to informed sources, T John College, Dickenson Road, Presidency College, Hebbal, PES College, Hanumanthnagar, and Al-Ameen Arts, Science, and Commerce College, Sudham Nagar, approached BU officials on Saturday requesting closing down various courses.

While T John College wanted to scrap Master of Tourism Administration (MTA), MS (Communication), M Sc (Biotechnology, Biochemistry, and Organic Chemistry), Presidency College did not want to continue with its Master of Finance and Auditing (MFA), Master of Social Work (MSW), MS (Communication), and M Sc (Biotechnology) programmes. In contrast, PES College and Al-Ameen College wanted to scrap their M Sc (Microbiology) and M Sc (Organic Chemistry) courses, respectively.

Unprofitable
“As many of these courses have been losing their sheen due to various factors, running them was becoming increasingly unprofitable. Not many students were taking them up. Going by pure business interests, these colleges suddenly approached the university for closing them down,” a senior official, requesting anonymity, said.

The university, however, struck their request down citing the Karnataka Universities Act, 2000 which mandates that a college should inform the university three months before discontinuing with a course. In their representation, the colleges also wanted the university not to send any of its candidates for these courses to them.

“They said they did not intend to admit students who opted for the courses during the ongoing counselling as they were not making money,” Vice Chancellor N Prabhu Dev told Deccan Herald.

According to Prabhu, the colleges had not raised even a murmur of unwillingness to run the courses when BU’s Local Inspection Committees (LICs) inspected their facilities for affiliation two months ago. “Now, suddenly they came up with this request. How can we accept it when we have announced the seat matrix and the admission process is underway?” Dev asked.

Action sought
The Vice Chancellor did not stop at that. He said the university would take strict action in accordance with the law if the colleges refused admission to the students. “We do not want to be authoritarian. But we will not hesitate to act if the colleges indulge in such tricks. They will have to admit the students, we have an obligation towards society and we will not compromise on it,” Dev said emphatically.

According to sources, had the university accepted the request at least 200 seats would have been cut down.