Gaya varsity: Students call off protest after V-C’s assurance

The four-year courses were started in 2013. But the NCTE has said it will give recognition only from the 2015-19 batch.

NEARLY 90 students who were enrolled in Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), Gaya, in 2013 and 2014 called off their week-long dharna on Tuesday after an assurance from Vice-Chancellor H C S Rathore that the issue of lack of official recognition of their courses would be resolved by December.

Forty-five students each were admitted in 2013 and 2014 for two batches of four-year integrated courses of B.A-B.Ed and B.Sc-B.Ed. They were protesting against the university and HRD Ministry for running the courses without recognition from the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), which is mandatory for teacher recruitment.

The four-year courses were started in 2013. But the NCTE has said it will give recognition only from the 2015-19 batch.

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Several students filed RTI applications for updates on the status of their courses, but the CUSB administration failed to provide any reply.

“We are harassed even for seeking online (RTI) information,” a student said. “There is no word on whether we will get NCTE recognition. Without that, our degrees carry little value.”

The HRD Ministry, the student pointed out, started these courses “and the ministry alone has to resolve the issue”.

V-C Rathore, who met a delegation of students on Tuesday, said, “We have met the HRD minister and have been assured of positive results. We will resolve the matter by December.”

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Union Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha told The Indian Express that he was “dismayed and surprised” that the V-C did not discuss the issue with him. The ministry would look into the problem, he added.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More