JOIN USStudents aspiring to study BCom, the demand for which has surged in recent years, can cheer up. The Department of Higher Education will introduce as many as 74 new sections catering solely to the commerce stream in government colleges in the State.
The decision has been taken in the wake of more and more students, especially in smaller cities and towns, enrolling for the undergraduate course. The Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Rajneesh Goel, said the demand for BCom at such places as Uppinangady and Vittal (both in Dakshina Kannada district), Chitradurga and Davangere was “surprising”. “Normally, we expect such a trend in Bangalore and the surrounding places,” Goel told Deccan Herald. Each new section will have 60-80 students.
But the decision whether to introduce a new section or just increase the intake of students would depend on the requisitions made by colleges to the respective joint directors, said B S Bhagyalakshmi, Director, Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) which oversees government and aided colleges. As of now, the DCE is busy compiling statistics. It will also use the assistance of the National Informatics Centre(NIC).
The demand for BCom has been steady. Commerce teachers believe the numbers will only increase in the years to come. Bangalore University alone has nearly a lakh BCom students — the largest for any course.
The Government RC College of Commerce and Management in the City received a staggering 2,000 applications for its 900 BCom seats, according to its Principal, Dr Venugopal. Many science students have also switched to commerce, he added.
The demand for BCom has come at a time when several government colleges are struggling to attract students for other courses like BSc, BA and BBM in order to prevent their closure. As per a recent government order, courses and subject combinations where there are less than 15 students should be closed down.
New courses soon
Besides new commerce sections, the DCE will introduce new courses and certificate programmes with an aim to improve the students’ skills and increase their employability.
The courses, however, will not be limited to government colleges. They will be introduced in collaboration with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
These include MA in financial securities, certificate courses in capital markets, market management and, financial analysis. Vinod Nair, Head, Academics and Product development, BSE, hoped the DCE will introduce the courses as early as next week.
Where they are proposed
These government colleges will get a new BCom section each:
Yelahanka, HSR Layout, Vijayanagar, Magadi, Malleswaram (all in Bangalore); Srirangapatna (Mandya), Heggadadevanakote, Periyapatna, Nanjangud, K R Nagar (all in Mysore), Malur (Kolar).
These will get 2 sections: Chintamani (Chikkaballapur), Chikkanayakanahalli (Tumkur), Challakere and Hosadurga (both in Chitradurga).