E-Paper
Covid effect: PU’s language depts get poor response for 2 straight academic sessions
The Covid pandemic has adversely effected enrolments at language departments of Panjab University (PU), where a large number of seats have gone vacant in the last two academic sessions since the pandemic outbreak
The Covid pandemic has adversely affected enrolments at language departments of Panjab University (PU), where a large number of seats have gone vacant in the last two academic sessions since the pandemic outbreak. These departments include Chinese and Tibetan Studies; Russian, German, French and Francophone.
As per the 2021-22 admission data, only eight students have opted for the certificate course in Russian against 114 available seats. Last year, 14 students were admitted to the course.
However, in the 2019-20 academic session, 112 students had taken it up.
In the diploma course in Russian, only two students have been admitted against 29 seats.
In the Chinese and Tibetan Studies department, only 14 students were enrolled for the certificate course in Chinese against 57 seats. Eight students were admitted to this course last year, compared to 38 in the previous session. Only three students have been admitted to the certificate course in Tibetan against 57 seats, which had 38 students in the 2019-20 academic session.
With 73 students admitted this year against 130 seats, there is a slight increase in the number of students admitted in the certificate course in German, compared to 54 last year. However, in the 2019-20 session, all the seats had been occupied. In the French department, 125 students were admitted in the certificate course this year, against 202 seats, compared to 95 students admitted last year.
In the 2019-20 academic session 196 students were admitted in the courses. However, in diploma courses only 10 students were admitted this year against 50 seats.
There is a slight increase in MA (Urdu) takers, as 19 students have been admitted this year compared to 13 last year against 39 total seats. However, in the 2019-20 academic session, 28 students were admitted in the course.
Ali Abbas, coordinator of the Urdu department, said, “Online teaching has affected the admissions to some extent as the university was closed.”
PU’s dean university instruction (DUI) Renu Vig said, “The university has reopened now and we hope that admissions will increase in these courses in the next session.”
