The term cram school has a literal meaning on the Jnana Bharathi campus: over 90 students are packed into a classroom that can accommodate just 35. This is the situation of the students pursuing M.Ed. at Bangalore University’s Department of Education.
BU took a bold step recently to forgo management quota seats for M.Ed. this year and accommodate all university quota students on its own campus. This followed the university’s Task Force report on M.Ed. colleges that recommended affiliated colleges be given six months to overcome their inadequacies before admitting students again.
The good and the bad
However, as it stands today, the 127 students admitted to the postgraduate (PG) education course are united in voicing their displeasure about the arrangements though they say the course is very affordable. “We are very happy to be studying in the university.
Had we gone to an affiliated college, we would have ended up spending at least Rs. 40,000 per year. Here, we are getting to study for less than Rs. 3,000 a year,” said N. Mylari, a student.
Though there are 127 students enrolled, on any given day the attendance is an average 115. However, on Wednesday, only 90 had turned up for class.
Transport, hostel
But the university is yet to pull up in socks on making suitable infrastructural arrangements for these students, most of who come from in and around the city. Transport and hostel facilities are the main issues. “I come from Mulbagal. I leave at 4 a.m. to travel to the city, but I still reach an hour late for classes,” lamented Prasanna Kumar R.
Umme Kulsum, chairperson of the Department of Education, said about 25 students had applied for hostel facilities, but the demand was so high from all quarters that none of them have been allotted rooms.
As for classrooms, the lack of coordination between the departments has led to the present scenario.
The Department of Economics, which has a larger classroom with fewer students, is not willing to swap.
Guest faculty
Bangalore University has recruited 10 guest faculty members specifically for this batch.
The class is ideally supposed to be divided into three sections to cater to the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) norms of 35 students in each section. Each section is supposed to have five faculty members. But the guest faculty is yet to report to the university.
