The Samaikyandra agitation has entered the 35 day. Students from various engineering colleges in the Seemandhra region have not turned a page in their textbooks since then.
The students, especially those in the final year, are the worst hit. On the one side they are losing out on syllabus and on the other they have come a cropper when it comes to campus placements.
“Since the last one month they have been completely out of touch with the syllabus and it will be very difficult to put them back on track,” said MVR College of Engineering and Technology Principal K.V. Sambasiva Rao.
“Engineering syllabus cannot be cramped or rushed. But the situation is such that once colleges commence, we have to rush. It will be very difficult for the students to get tuned. Moreover, second year and third year students, who plan to take up coaching such as GRE, GATE, and CAT, are also facing difficulty as the coaching institutes are also closed,” he added.
In the Seemandhra region, there are 370 engineering colleges out of a total 670 functioning and it is estimated that there are 8 lakh students studying in these colleges.
“Apart from academics, the biggest problem faced by the final year students is in the area of campus placement,” said Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences Principal V.S.R.K. Prasad.
“August and September are crucial months for campus placements. By this time, an average engineering college would have received at least seven to eight companies and at least 40 to 50 per cent of the students from various streams would have found placements. But due to the ongoing stir, none of the 370-odd colleges in the Seemandhra region have received any company and this is going to play havoc in the life of the students,” he pointed out.
Placement Officer from NRI College of Technology Surendra Babu asserted that the worst hit would be meritorious students from the middle and poor segments of society.
“But this has not been the case in the Telangana region. The companies are visiting the campuses in the region and placements are taking place,” he said.
According to Prof. Sambasiva Rao, distraction from studies would also impact the students’ mindset. “Lack of campus jobs would set in a climate of depression and this would agitate their minds,” he said.
Principal of a private engineering college pointed out that the political leaders should shoulder the responsibility and not involve the students in the agitation.
“Almost every political leader owns a business, be it a power plant or a private bus service. They have not closed down their businesses., but are making more money out of the agitation. So, why impact the young minds,” he questioned.
