Duel between students forces SVU to stop dual degree course

Tirupati: The Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering (SVUCE) wants to discontinue dual engineering degree (B Tech & M Tech) from this academic year onwards due to frequent disputes between regular engineering students and students pursuing dual degree course.

The SVU started dual engineering degree programme five years ago and admitting students by conducting a separate entrance exam. Several students, who were admitted to dual degree course, were not qualified in the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) conducted for the engineering courses.

The regular students, who have qualified the EAMCET, are opposing the dual degree engineering course as the non-merit students are being offered admissions and they have been demanding the SVU officials to stop offering the dual degree course in the engineering college of the varsity campus. At present, 500 students are pursuing dual degree programme in engineering.

Meanwhile, few professors have expressed unwillingness to teach for the students of dual degree course without additional payment and some more regular teaching faculty are opposing the dual degree programme run by the SVU in self-finance mode. Regular B Tech students have been staging protests urging the varsity authorities to wind up dual degree programme.

There are instances of few dual degree students indulging in physical attack on regular students in hostel rooms and dining halls during the nights. The varsity authorities referred the issue of winding up the dual degree course to the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE). It is learnt that the varsity’s Directorate of Admissions had postponed the admission process for dual degree programme and messages were sent to students not to attend the counselling.

Meanwhile, the SVU had changed the admission process and made compulsory for students to qualify JEE or EAMCET and reduced the intake of students to 40 while in the past was 120. Responding over the issue, SVU Rector Prof G Janaki Ramaiah said regular and dual degree course students are indulging in frequent clashes leading to unrest in the campus.

“We are running the dual degree programme in the varsity engineering campus due to lack of infrastructure,” he said, adding that the issue was referred to the government and postponed the counselling the for dual degree programme till July 20.