UGC guidelines on apprenticeship & internship not enforced in TS, AP

Hyderabad: The University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines to introduce apprenticeship and internship embedding in the degree programmes seems have no takers in the two Telugu States. Earlier the Union Education Minister had also asked all departments functioning under him and the public sector undertakings to provide apprenticeship and internship opportunities to students.

Currently, students from a few branches of technology, sciences and education have been allowed to take apprenticeships or internships during their final year of under-graduate courses.

However, students studying humanities, social sciences and legal streams from universities in Telangana and AP either have no internship included in their syllabus during their final year under-graduate studies. Or, they find it tough to get such opportunities. For example, a student of public administration studies public policy, local self-governments, public finance administration, like budgetary processes. Similarly, several social sciences subjects, like political science, legal studies and economics, can be given internship opportunities. These degrees and post-graduate students can intern with political parties, MLAs, MLCs, MPs, legislative departments, legal services authorities, law ministry, home ministry and several other departments.

What makes the issue more interesting is that one university in Telangana is 100 years old, the other State university in AP is 95 years old. Both are running under-graduate and post-graduate courses in education. But, students of the universities are not offered internships in the department of distance learning to gain hands-on experience in education communication, distance education planning.

Similarly, School/Collegiate/Technical and Higher Education departments in both States are shying away to explore creating internship opportunities for their respective State universities and colleges.

Speaking to The Hans India, teacher MLC Alugubelli Narsi Reddy said "he is ready to take if any student from streams likes political science, public administration wishs to intern to gain practical experience. He stressed internship component would help gain practical knowledge. It should be made part of the curriculum from the high school level.

Said a senior official of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H) the UGC and AICTE guidelines say apprenticeship and internship for fresh graduates make them employment-ready with the necessary knowledge, competencies and attitude. This is making universities restrict such opportunities only to certain branches of academic streams, he clarified.