E-Paper
AU increases seats in three MA-I courses
THE ALLAHABAD University (AU) administration has decided to increase 25 seats each in Political Science, Ancient History and Philosophy for the current academic session in MA-I. With this hike, the varsity will now have a total of 100 seats in MA-I (Political Science) and 125 seats each in MA-I (Ancient History) and MA-I (Philosophy). A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the AU Admission Committee at the North Hall on Thursday. AU vice-chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe presided over the meeting.
THE ALLAHABAD University (AU) administration has decided to increase 25 seats each in Political Science, Ancient History and Philosophy for the current academic session in MA-I. With this hike, the varsity will now have a total of 100 seats in MA-I (Political Science) and 125 seats each in MA-I (Ancient History) and MA-I (Philosophy).
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the AU Admission Committee at the North Hall on Thursday. AU vice-chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe presided over the meeting.
To recall, the meeting was convened following students’ agitation in support of more seats in the varsity. The students demanded that the varsity must admit as many students as it did last year when it was a State varsity.
During the meeting, the members recommended hike in seats of these three departments at the PG level on the basis of “rationalisation of seats” after considering the number of sanctioned seats of these three subjects.
The heads of the three departments— Political Science, Ancient History and Philosophy— were also present on the occasion and gave their assent to the proposal.
Addressing the members, the VC apprised them of the progress made in admissions till date and also instructed them to ensure that preparations for admissions for the next year kicked off in January itself.
On the issue of admitting the same number of students as they did last year, members of the admission committee opined that with just 6 per cent of youngsters belonging to the relevant age-group having access to higher education in the country as against 30 per cent in developed countries, there was not much that could be done to change things. The members pointed out that to increase seats as per the demands of some student leaders, the varsity would require substantial amount of additional resources and agreed on the point that it was a national problem to which a local solution was not possible.
Some of the committee members also brought to the attention the fact that as per the interim report of the oversight committee of the Government of India, 83000 additional seats would be hiked in the institutions of higher education of the country, including the IIMs and IITs and out of which 61000 would be in 18 Central Universities. They claimed that as per the proposal, AU itself would be increasing 2100 seats at under graduate level and another 1120 seats at post graduate level to adjust 27 per cent OBC students without reducing the seats of the general category students.
The teachers claimed that AU would get additional faculty positions as well as recurring and non-recurring grants to adjust to the hike without letting the quality of education suffer. However, the committee members maintained that any adhoc increase of seats was not possible as it would only amount to beating the very purpose of the university becoming a Central University and coming under the Centre’s rule.
