Many raise eyebrows over courses offered

Hyderabad: Questions are being raised over the courses proposed by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) to be offered at the newly-sanctioned tribal university in Telangana.

According to sources, the UoH, the mentor institution, is going in for courses like BA in Hotel Management (BAHM), Bachelor of Computer Sciences (BCA), Master of Computer Sciences (MCA), and Master of Business Administration (MBA) with specialisation in marketing and packaging of forest produce instead of the courses for which it has been sanctioned. Besides, it also proposed to start courses in the tribal culture and folklore at the postgraduation level.

Sources in the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE) said every year hundreds of seats are left vacant in BCA and MCA courses in many government and private colleges in the state. "This is, despite the government providing full fee reimbursement,” they said. Further, the companies continue to prefer the BCA for recruitment and those who have completed MCA continue to struggle to get placements.

That apart, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H) has been refusing to recognise MCA for the appointment of faculty members to teach computer sciences and information technology courses. Similarly, seats in MBA with several specializations are freely available in the state.

However, the only value addition that the mentor institution is bringing to the newly-sanctioned university is the specialisation in packaging the forest produce.

In regard to the master's courses in the tribal culture and folklore, "School of Folk and Tribal Lore of the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University (PSTU) has been offering master’s as well as postgraduate diploma courses for years," said a faculty member of the university. Besides, research in these areas has been continuing for years in other universities in the state.

It was against this backdrop that questions are raised over the kind of courses proposed to be taught at the tribal university. When asked, Prof Prasanna K Samal, Dean, Faculty of Tribal Studies, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, said that there are two aspects: Firstly, to provide access to the tribal student’s modern education to maximize their employment opportunities.

It includes technology, pharmacy and others. Secondly, to provide education to manage, administer their own affairs, including studying the local medicinal systems, culture, etc.

One of the key objectives of the IGNTU was to provide instructional and research facilities in tribal art, tradition, culture, language, medicinal systems, customs, and forest-based economic activities, flora, fauna and advancement in technologies relating to the natural resources of the tribal areas.

When asked on the courses proposed by the UoH, State Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi said, it is the first step to start with. --
The courses could be increased based on the availability of faculty as part o the second step. Also, the State government is open to taking suggestions on the kind of courses which could be introduced at the Tribal University in the future, he added.

It may be mentioned here that preparations are on to start classes of the Tribal University temporarily at the Youth Training Center (YTC), Jakkaram in Jayashankar Bhoopalapalli district.