Lack of resources forces Rajasthan University to close vocational courses

JAIPUR: Rajasthan University (RU) is shutting down its vocational courses and degree programs due to a shortage of resources which also includes faculty. These vocational courses offer practical training to students making them more employable. In the last three years, eight such courses have been discontinued including the Centre Water Resource Management and Inclusive Growth, a degree program in social work, diploma in banking and finance etc.
Students say that when they took admission in RU and its constituent colleges, tehre were several such short-term courses available but now they have been dropped. Hoshiyar Singh, a final-year history student at RU was interested in pursuing a short-term course in communication which is no longer available. “The fees of such programs start from Rs 5,000 and can go up to Rs 15,000, they are integrated with the routine studies. The non-availability of such courses has forced students like me to look for institutes outside the university,” said Singh.
Students are forced to enrol with private institutes to pursue such courses while paying a hefty fee. As the admission season has kicked off, students look for institutes which have such courses. It is certain that students will give RU a miss. Some courses are running but with scarce resources. The department of visual arts in RU requires at least 20 teachers against the strength of four. The course is a self-finance one which means the entire amount is collected from the students. “I am feeling cheated as at the time of admission we were told that faculty will be arranged as soon as possible. I am a third-year student but we have just four faculty members who always remain under pressure,” said a student of visual arts.
Rashmi Jain, vice-principal of Maharani’s College says that vocational courses are the backbone of every good institute nowadays. “Such courses enhance the knowledge base of students. It gives them the opportunity to gain professional skills and allows them to generate job opportunities for them in areas which may not be possible for them to get through their routine degree,” said Jain.
University officials said that every such course requires a minimum number of students for its smooth functioning. “In most of these courses the number of students enrolled were not adequate is a reason that after some years they have closed,” said a university official.