Students worry over jobs

Chennai: The ongoing protests at IIT-Madras following the recent de-recognition of Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle may prompt several multinational companies to skip the institute for campus placement this season, feel students. The students believe that already several multinational companies have slowed down campus recruitment due to global economic recession. This year, a few top MNCs did not visit IIT-Madras for placement, they said.

“When we have such a situation, this ongoing protest may create more confusion among corporates whether to recruit students from IIT-Madras or not,” said a final-year B.Tech student, who declined to be identified. Pre-placement starts at IIT-Madras by September-October and placement begins on December 1 every year. A Ph.D. student pointed out that reports of the protest on the campus, filling cyber space, may hamper prospects to get a post-doctoral fellowship or a teaching position from universities abroad.

“Academicians from foreign universities have already started looking at IIT-Madras as a place of racial discrimination and protests. It is not clear how they will look at students who apply from IIT-Madras. We request the institute administration to put an end to the ongoing protests amicably at the earliest,” the student said.

The faculty also was of the opinion that the protests should be brought to an end immediately with a solution acceptable to both parties. “Our friends in universities abroad have started asking us about the protests and contemplate postponing their visit because of the protests,” one of the faculty said on condition of anonymity.