BiPC students losing biotechnology stream

Hyderabad: The B Tech Biotechnology course in the Telangana State may become part of the history thanks to the indifferent attitude of the government for failing to make BiPC stream candidates eligible for the course without a bridge course in the Intermediate stream. Despite the several representations from parents and students to relax the norm, the government has been sitting like a lame duck placing course aspirants in the dark.

The BiPC candidates are only eligible for the B Tech Biotechnology course if they qualify mathematics as the bridge course in the Intermediate level. However, there is no such rider for the MPC candidates who wish to pursue Biotechnology. But they would be tested in biology in the first semester of B Tech.

Now the parents and students have been demanding the government to test the mathematics knowledge of the BiPC candidates after they get into the course as it is done in the case of MPC students. Several representations have been made to the Telangana State Council of Higher Education to change the norm. In this regard, the TSCHE has sought the opinion of Osmania University and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad a month back.

According to the sources, Osmania University and Commissionerate of Technical Education had given their nod for relaxing the norm. While JNTU-H’s academic cell had given the green signal for the relaxing the norm, the higher up in the university had put the issue in the cold storage over a month. This led to delay in taking a final decision by the government on the issue while the web counselling for the course was commencing from Friday.

Lacking awareness on the bridge course in Intermediate, the candidates were being deprived of admissions into the biotech stream even after qualifying EAMCET resulting in vacancies in seats in large numbers. As the admissions were not up to the mark, colleges offering this course have come down to two from 15 colleges in the State. The officials now fear that Biotechnology course become history if the government does not step in immediately.

“The colleges invest huge amounts for the infrastructure and laboratories. However, we get admissions between 30 and 35 while the total intake is 120. If the norm is relaxed, the colleges will make good admissions and there are chances that several colleges which closed the course will revive it,” said Prof V Sesha Srinivas, Head, Biotechnology department at Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology which offers the course.

He further said there were several laboratories in Hyderabad doing research and development in biotechnology. “The state can generate good human resource for these laboratories if candidates take up the course or else other state students will grab the opportunities,” he added. M Amarnath Babu, a worried parent, said that several students were migrating to the deemed universities like VIT, SRM, KLU, Gitam where there was no requirement of the bridge course.

Telangana State Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari assured that he would look into the matter and held consultation with the officials. But no decision has been taken yet. “I thought of joining my daughter in a deemed university but I am waiting for the decision as the Minister assured,” said Babu.