BU lands MEd students in a mess

With semester examination a month away, students of Bangalore University MEd course are a worried lot.

Lack of classroom and teachers has ensured that their specialisation courses have not even started. Topics for dissertation have not been finalised and assigned. The education department has failed to address all these problems.

Students are clueless about how they will appear for the exam scheduled in January. Students said more than 100 of them are crammed in one class meant for 50. There are only five faculty members for both MEd and BEd courses.

“Sitting in that classroom everyday is a nightmare. Guest faculty has not been appointed yet, specialisation courses have not begun and dissertation has not been assigned. I do not know what we are going to write in the exam. Lecturers are not bothered,” said one student, requesting anonymity. Other students told Deccan Herald that the department had changed the specialisations they had opted without informing the students. The staff shortage has forced them into specializations that have more students, irrespective of what their choice.

Students are angry over the fact that the department began classes two months late and despite being aware of these problems, it has failed to remedy the situation. Former Vice-Chancellor N Prabhu Dev had earlier directed the department to appoint 10 guest faculties along with increasing the number of classrooms, but to no avail. The department of education shares space with the department of economics on the Jnanabharathi campus. The economics department has refused to share classroom space with the education department.

In the first week of October this year, the BU Task Force on BEd education inspected the place and requested the V-C to sort out the problems, after which Prabhu Dev  directed the civil engineering department to provide space for MEd classes. That attempt too failed. With regard to the guest faculty, chairperson of the department of education Umme Kulsum had, in the same month, stated that interviews for the guest faculty were conducted and the faculty would be appointed within a couple of days. Almost two months later, the guest faculty is yet to report to work.

On being contacted, Kulsum sought two days to offer an explanation about the existing crisis. Acting V-C Rangaswamy said he had to take a look at the order issued by the former V-C and he would examine the problem to take a suitable decision on Monday.

The university’s BEd Task Force chairman Karan Kumar told Deccan Herald that the department, for reasons known only to those at the helm of affairs, had put the appointments of guest faculty on hold after giving offer letters to the candidates.