Agriculture students oppose distance education plan
We the students in all five colleges in state will boycott our classes until the state government withdraws its memo.
Rajahmundry: Agriculture students are up against the state government with a demand to withdraw the memo issued recently enabling the in service candidates to pursue graduation course in Agriculture through distance mode to be offered by the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture University in the state.
The students from all the five agriculture colleges located in the state are boycotting their classes since Monday and are taking out rallies to mount pressure upon the state government.
It may be mentioned that the state government issued a memo enabling the agriculture extension officers and mandal extension officers to pursue B.Sc (Agriculture) in distance mode as a majority of them either passed Class X or Polytechnic in Agriculture before joining the government service.
The state government issued direction to the state agriculture university to prepare the syllabus and conduct classes for these in service personnel from the academic year 2016-17. They need to attend 40 classes for the entire course of graduation of agriculture at the rate of one class per month.
The agriculture students maintain that they are pursuing four years course in the agriculture colleges recognised by the Indian Council for Agriculture Research.
The students turn apprehensive by saying that the in-service personnel working as AEOs and MEOs complete their B.Sc (Agriculture) through distance mode in short period and become eligible to get promotion in their job and also increment in their wages.
They fear that this may deprive their opportunity to get job in the state government. They turn critical against the state government by saying that even after pursuing graduation in agriculture after studying for four years, their chances of getting government job become bleak.
A large number of students pursuing B.Sc (Agriculture) in SKVT college took out a rally from their college to Sub Collector’s office and submitted a representation to the Sub Collector Mrs. Vijaya Krishnan here on Tuesday and the Sub Collector assured to take up their issue to the concerned authorities. M. Udaya Bhaskar who is pursuing third year B.Sc (Agriculture) in SKVT College said, "In order to get degree in agriculture, we have to study for four years.
The state government," direction to agriculture university to start the degree course in distance mode especially to benefit the in-service personnel will deprive the employment opportunity for us. We the students in all five colleges in state will boycott our classes until the state government withdraws its memo.Â