HYDERABAD: Students of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) staged a major protest on Wednesday against a circular issued by university’s Academic and Executive Council that changes several major rules.
Over 100 students boycotted their classes to stage the protest. They objected to changing of rules after the semester had begun; that too without consulting students. The protest continued throughout the day on the campus.
One of the major cha-nges is fixing a maximum number for students to enrol in MA courses. The circular says no more than 30 students can join a course, which would be on a first-come-first-serve basis. Teachers of the same department can offer similar courses for students who cannot enrol.
Students maintain this is impractical and being unfair to them. In a letter to the administration, the EFLU Students Union pointed out, “First come first serve will put immense pressure on students to compete with each other for a seat. Students who cannot register immediately will be at a disadvantage.” They also objected to the idea of “similar courses”, as students would not be able to study the exact course they want.
Seeking anonymity, a student said, “This rule will lead to a hostile atmosphere among students.”
Another major rule is relating to Ph.D admissions. The circular states that candidates who qualify for UGC’s NET Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) shall be exempt from appearing in the written part of EFLU’s entrance test. They must, however, appear for the 30-marks interview, which would be “calculated to arrive at the score out of 100”.
The student body said there is no explanation on how the score will be converted. “Converting 30 out of 100 will put non-NET students in a precarious position. They will have to score reasonably high in entrance exams to make up for it. This provision was not mentioned in the prospectus at the time of admission,” a union representative pointed out, asserting that rules not mentioned in the prospectus at the time of admission cannot be brought in later during the academic year.
The university also announced that it would adopt a Bell Curve grading system. The student body criticised this move, saying it is a manifestation of an “ableist system”. “The entire system is based on the assumption that all students have an equal footing when it comes to education [...] This (move) will lead to isolation, leading to some students breaking down mentally,” the union said.
A student from the university said the Academic Council, which recommended changes in rules, must have two student representatives on it. But no student was there on the council. It is also learnt that teachers’ association too was not consulted about these changes. The teacher’s body is yet to react in this regard.
The protests are likely to continue on Thursday as well. “The vice-chancellor is not in town. We will continue our protests until he comes back and takes notice of the issue,” the student said.
However, there are reports that the university registrar has announced that the circular will be kept in abeyance until further notice. “As this does not clarify anything, students will discuss and announce their further plan of action,” said the press release of the students union.
