No takers for MCJ course in SPMVV

Tirupati: Is the journalism course losing its charm? The answer would be a strong yes as the MCJ course is getting less students over the years. In Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (SPMVV), the only Women’s University in two Telugu states, was once known for its MCJ course among other streams.

Highlights:

• Reasons attributed were less salaries and security concern to women students in journalism field
• Senior Professors say the response may be good if the basic course is clubbed with some other modern subjects like media management

The alumni of varsity are working in many prominent newspapers and TV channels. However, in the last 10 years the demand for course is decreasing gradually.

This year less than five students took admission in MCJ course, sources said. As it is not feasible to run the course with such a small strength, those students were convinced to take some other streams. The department had similar experience last year too. However, the response to MBA-media management for which the admissions are made through ICET, is satisfactory though seats in self-finance were becoming vacant. The department is having 8 faculty including Vice-Chancellor.

Senior Professors at varsity felt the response may be good if the basic course is clubbed with some other modern subjects like media management. As far as women students are concerned, parents are not willing to send their wards out on journalism as they were seeing security problem since journalists must deal with politicians and police. That too salaries in the field are also not so attractive when compared to other jobs.

The demand may be there in big cities but not in towns. Unless they have passion for journalism, students prefer some other course, observed another Professor. Not only women students, even male students were not showing any interest in MCJ course. With poor response, the attempts to run the course as self-financing course recently went futile.

Varsity Journalism and Mass communication Head of Department Prof BN Neelima said though the basic course has no takers, the electives like anchoring for radio and TV, photography and event management offered by the department were getting good response. Students from science were choosing these electives. For each one of them at least 50 students were there, she told. If PG diploma course in photography and anchoring is introduced, she felt huge response may be there.

Like MCJ, MA women’s studies also getting poor response. In view of this, they have started MA Economics in the same department which was witnessing impressive demand. “There is nothing wrong in offering courses which students were demanding instead of sticking to streams which have no demand”, said a senior professor.

Though there is excess demand for all science courses, only sericulture is having poor response. The demand for commerce courses was also tremendous. For 60 seats, 65 students were admitted, said Director of Admissions Prof V Kalarani. However, music course gets only five students for 25 seats.

In languages, both Telugu and English have left with many vacant seats. No student has joined in MEd course, said the Director of Admissions. In Sciences, after seeing the response for B-vocational courses in food technology and fashion technology they started M-vocational course this year for which absolutely there were no takers.

By V Pradeep Kumar