Students at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) have expressed disappointment with the refusal of the academic council and the executive council — which met on Monday — to accept their demands.
Four agendas based on their demands were turned down after a seven-hour deliberation by experts and faculty members. The demands included relaxation of the time period for lateral-entry diploma students to complete their course. According to the rules, they are expected to complete the course in six years.
Another demand was providing exit schemes for students doing their Masters in Computer Application. Students who were part of the non-Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) but shifted to the CBCS in the third semester also wanted to be allowed to move to the fifth semester although they are not eligible for this.
Exam load
In September this year, VTU decided to modify its ‘critical year’ and ‘year back’ concepts for the 2017-18 academic year after some students complained that they had to appear for nearly 16 exams in three months. A topic that was debated extensively following pressure from students was to give the CBCS students a supplementary exam or to allow them to carry over their backlogs. Students had even staged a protest and submitted a memorandum to the university on this matter. However, the authorities have refused to give in.
A university official said both the academic council and the executive council decided to stick to the regulations and not allow any “leniency”.
Shravan Kumar, co-convener of the VTU Students’ Struggle Committee, expressed disappointment with the decisions and said they would now take the legal route. “In many cases, it is the university that has erred and students who have to bear the brunt,” he said.
