Visakhapatnam: Student-startup founders face problems

Visakhapatnam: Many college students are willing to take up startups or join a startup group but are finding it hard to do so as many educational institutions have not implemented the student entrepreneurship provisions framed under the AP Innovation and Startup policy.

In a bid to promote entrepreneurship culture among students, the government had framed the policy in 2014, permitting universities or colleges to give 5 per cent grace marks and 20 per cent attendance to student entrepreneurs every semester.

The universities were allowed to introduce the concept of student entrepreneurs in residence, which helps students to take a year’s gap of one year or maximum two years to work on their startup projects.

These couple of years will not be taken into count by the university and the student can come back and complete the remaining years of his/her course.
Many city-based startup founders viewed that though the students from various colleges and universities were interested in working with their projects, they are unable to get permission.

“The student entrepreneurship policy has remained only on paper.  The government had allowed the universities to implement the policies from July 2014, but to no avail. Students don’t venture into startups fearing about attendance shortage. Hence, the grace attendance provision should be implemented,” said Roopesh, founder of a city-based startup.  

“Many students in our university want to venture into startups or work on startup ideas. However, attendance and gap year issues are coming in the way due to non-execution of the student entrepreneurship policy,” said Mr G. Krishna Sharma, a fourth-year engineering student and representative of a student startup incubator.