Bangalore, being the IT capital of the country, is home to a horde of budding engineers. Of late, the field has witnessed a vast increase in both the subjects offered as part of the streams available, as well as subjects which seemingly have nothing to do with the profession.
With the addition of subjects such as Environmental Science, Kannada and Constitution of India, the pressure on the students has increased drastically. However, most students seem quite content with the additions, as they seem to say that these subjects are extremely easy and help increase their overall grade.
Varun Kashyap U., second year, Mechanical Engineering, Sir M.Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology
It is the responsibility of any university to make sure that subjects of study are more or less on par with the other universities across the globe. In Visvesvaraya Technological University, the syllabus is revised every few years, but to a fairly small extent with the inclusion of subjects that are gaining importance today like Constitution of India, professional ethics and environmental science. I think the inclusion of such subjects is important for the all-round development of a student.
As a citizen of the country, we must know at least the fundamentals of the Constitution of India simply to know the functioning of the government and political system, in which young graduates must actively participate. So it seems feasible to study it as part of the syllabus. Moreover, the recent floods in Uttarkhand have made us realise the importance of the situation as of now and the role of the environment in our lives irrespective of our profession.
This justifies environmental science being in the syllabus irrespective of the course. However these two subjects do not count for one’s overall percentage.
Inchara Raveendra, second year, Telecommunication Engineering, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology
I appreciate the inclusion of subjects like the Constitution of India and Environmental Studies in the engineering syllabus. It intends to make the legal and judicial system more responsive by creating general awareness amongst the youth, to enact new laws and review the existing ones to ensure speedy justice, helpful to protect the rights of citizens and democratic principles and to strengthen institutional mechanisms. Harsh realities of household and social discrimination, macroeconomic policies and poverty eradication are the focus area these days.
A holistic approach to environmental studies includes pollution control, energy conservation, recycling, nutrition and health services with attention to basic needs at all stages of the life cycle. Amidst full-fledged classes and labs, these subjects are helpful to voice our thoughts. Also, we feel relieved in between the technical subjects' schedule.
Greeshma Anup, second year, Industrial Engineering and Management, M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology
Subjects like Constitution of India and languages introduced in the first year of engineering are probably aimed at students who would want to attempt the UPSC examinations. However, having these subjects at the very beginning of the course may not entirely serve the purpose since these examinations are written only on completion of the undergraduate course. The syllabus is not very extensive and is fairly simple, so it helps in bringing up one’s overall CGPA. Subjects like these could be placed as an elective in later years of studies and chosen only by those who wish to pursue them.
The Kannada language is time consuming to study for students who have not learnt the language previously, so maybe a lighter syllabus would be appreciated.
English, referred to as Professional Communication, covers basics of grammar and letter writing. This is comparatively helpful to the students to a larger extent.
Abhishek H.V., second year, Mechanical Engineering, R.V. College of Engineering
Apart from the regular course subjects, RVCE offers a few additional subjects such as Kannada, English, Constitutional Studies and Environmental Studies. These subjects are common to students of each and every branch. Although they are not of such great help to an engineer’s future, they do play a very vital role. Our college is an autonomous institution and has quite a good number of students from other States. Basic Kannada is taught to them so that they can easily communicate and don’t have trouble when they are in Bangalore.
Further, Constitutional studies helps us understand the working of our nation and also gives us the essential understanding of the laws governing us.
Environmental Studies tells us about the ethics of not exploiting the resources as an engineer. Thus these subjects have become a necessity and are vital for the curriculum.
Apurva Hendi, second year, Industrial Engineering and Management, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering
I personally think that the core subjects themselves are burdensome and barring the Constitution of India, the additional subjects have only made the exams more tedious for me. Also, their contribution to my knowledge is close to nothing. CI, however, is a good addition to our syllabus, for, most of us, even at the age of 18 or 19, fail to name the President of our country, and this has to be rectified.
