Mangalore University to discontinue PG programmes having admission in single digits

The odd semester classes of PG programmes for 2024-25 academic year will begin from October 7

With the number of admissions being in single digits, Mangalore University has decided to discontinue some of its postgraduate programmes (formerly called courses) for the 2024-25 academic year even as the classes are set to begin on Monday, October 7.

The programmes likely to be discontinued on its Mangalagangotri campus are Environmental Science, Materials Science, Geo-Informatics, Statistics, Electronics, and Mass Communication and Journalism, and at the University Evening College in Hampankatta are Konkani and Tulu. It is due to wanting of students seeking admission for the first semester of those programmes.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university P.L. Dharma told The Hindu: “Those programmes will be kept under suspended animation for 2024-25 due to poor admission, in single digits as it is not feasible to manage those courses with such a low number of students. If there are enough number of students for the programmes during 2025-26, they will be revived.”

The Vice-Chancellor said that the university has decided to continue with such programmes this year which have admission of students in double digits.

The university has extended the last date for admission to postgraduate programmes till October 10. However, the classes of first and third semesters will commence from October 7.

The Registrar (administration) Raju Mogaveera said that since there are four more days to go for the last date of admission, the exact number of programmes to be discontinued, based on admission in single digits, will be known on October 10. Students who have opted for such programmes to be discontinued will be convinced to opt for other programmes.

Prof. Dharma said that with the present financial condition of the university, it is finding difficult to manage a postgraduate programme having less than 10 students by appointing guest teachers to teach those programmes.

In addition, the Vice-Chancellor said other factors are responsible for low admission. Students believe that some programmes have no job opportunities and some are not linked to the National Level Eligibility Test (NET). “The impact of implementing National Education Policy – 2020 at the undergraduate level in the university three years ago is also seen during admission to post graduate programmes,” Prof. Dharma said.

A professor at the university said that the NEP had allowed students to opt for only two major subjects at the undergraduate level instead of three major subjects earlier. Hence, students did not opt for some major subjects at the undergraduate level resulting in a lack of students seeking admission to postgraduate programmes in some select subjects.

Published - October 06, 2024 09:12 pm IST