The Samaikyandhra agitation is having a telling effect on the education sector. Many students have expressed doubts about the fate of the current semester.
“The college has been closed for a month and the talk of extending it further is disturbing,” says Nikhil, a third year engineering student.
“Any further extension will push the semester to January” he added. Though universities have given permission to keep the colleges closed till the end of August, it is two days past the deadline and still there are no signs of opening them.
Some colleges have informally announced to open after Vinayaka Chaviti. Since the launch of the agitation, many colleges have closed their hostels, causing untold trouble to out-station students. They have also lost the opportunity to attend the placement drives.
“If the agitation ends by September 7, as has been told to us, the students may get a chance to finish the semester, as the teachers and students’ associations have agreed to resume classes and finish the pending syllabus,” Sri Venkateswara University Registrar K. Satyavelu Reddy told The Hindu .
Student leaders however feel that the semester will have to be extended for a month to make up for the lost time. “The Vice-Chancellor, with the approval of the Executive Council, has the powers to extend it to offer some leeway, so that the exams can be held in May instead of April”, a student said.
Meanwhile, the JAC leaders have promised to ensure smooth functioning of the classes, parallel to the agitation. “The managements will open the hostels and conduct classes and the students of each college will participate in rounds” said the Private Colleges JAC chairman T. Venkateswarlu. All eyes are now on September 7, the date when the Parliament is scheduled to finish the current session and hence may decide the fate of the agitation.
