`University's inclines towards distance education

`University's inclines towards distance education
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

JULY 17: The FYBCOM admission problem still persists even three weeks after the classes for the first year degree courses have started. The 45 minute meeting between Government, University and BUCTU at the Vidhan Sabha today evening threw up no concrete solution to the problem.

University which has already asked the colleges to take five more students in each division, sees Distance Education as the solution. However they are not averse to the idea of granting more divisions either. But as Higher and Technical education minister Dilip Valse Patil expressed government's inability to grant aid to the new divisions, due to financial constraints, it is left to the colleges to run these additional divisions. BUCTU persisted on their view point that adding more students to the already overcrowded classes will be totally unacademic.

The addition of five students will admit a further 1,339 students. The decision about the rest will come after the discussion between University and various bodies.

According to Pro-Vice Chancellor V V Khole who represented the university at the meetiung "We have already admitted the extra students which has made room for a lot more students. As government has expressed their inability to grant aid, we'll have to discuss the matter with the teachers and come to a decision. However, the date for distance education which has already been extended till July 27 will be further extended, should need arise. Students also have the option of joining the Bachelor of Management Studies(BMS) course. Colleges can also add more divisions on a non-grant basis, following the Pune university model." BUCTU president C R Sadasivan who led the five member BUCTU delegation said that they still insist that it is highly unacademic to add more students. Overcrowding will mean that there will be problem for accomodating the extra students and the internal exams as well as the attendance are going to suffer. Students will lose out in the bargain. He added that if concrete steps are not takennow, the problem is going to reccur again next year.