Integrated PU colleges continue to thrive despite warning

 Colleges offering pre-university courses with coaching for various competitive examinations continue to thrive, despite the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) recently making its intent known to crack down on such institutions.

With the results of most boards being declared, many students have in fact already joined or planning on joining such colleges. Mukesh V, who recently passed his class 10 with flying colours is already one month into his classes at a college offering such integrated PU programme. He aims to crack the JEE for entry into national institutes of technology and Indian Institutes of Technology.

When asked whether he was aware of the ban on integrated courses in PU Colleges, Mukesh said: “I don’t know about it. My mind is set on one goal and that is cracking the exam.” Mukesh’s college charges anywhere between one lakh and 1.5 lakh per year for the integrated course.

There are however others who feel jittery at the prospect of joining such colleges. Rohith, who secured 92 per cent in his SSLC exams wants to take up science. “I have already zeroed in on a PU college that offers an integrated course. However, I am not sure whether to join it or not especially considering all the ambiguities on the issue,” he said. A girl at Pragati PU College, an integrated institution in Bengaluru was shot dead by the hostel attendant and following this incident, the DPUE began to speak about cracking down on such colleges.

A principal of a well-known PU college in Bengaluru offering such integrated courses, said. “The PU Board is under the impression that all such colleges are only promoting coaching for competitive examinations and not going by the PU syllabus. In a college like ours, we offer coaching only after the regular classes and it is up to the student whether or not he/she wants to join it.” 

Out of the total number of around 500 students in the college around 25 students join the coaching. “The department should crack down on institutions commercialising coaching and not those that offer it on a need basis. Also, in a highly competitive environment, colleges need to offer such coaching classes lest students join any other coaching institute somewhere else,”
An official from the PU department said: “Offering any kind of integrated coaching course along with PU courses is not permitted by the department and it is against the rules. However, it is okay if colleges offer such courses out of charity, without charging any fee”