Students of SV Varsity oppose AP PGCET, observe bandh
The student unions demand decentralised admissions
TIRUPATI: Strongly opposing the conduct of AP Post Graduate Common Entrance Test (AP PGCET), hundreds of students took part in a bandh at Sri Venkateswara University under the leadership of United Student Unions on Tuesday.
They echoed their strong voice for the cancellation of the PGCET. The protest was presided over by Sundararaju, the founder of the National Law Student Association (NLSA).
Leaders from various student unions, including AISF, SFI, NSUI, AISA, PDSO, PDSU, GNS, BCSU and GJS, addressed the gathering, expressing their dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to fulfil its pre-election promise of scrapping the AP PGCET. They argued that prior to 2021, each university conducted its own PG entrance examinations, which allowed for more localised admissions.
However, the previous YSRCP government, as part of the National Education Policy 2020, centralised the PG admissions under the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE).
The protestors claimed that the common entrance system led to a 30 per cent decline in admissions across State universities from 2021 to 2024, leaving classrooms empty and forcing some departments to shut down. They highlighted that HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, during the recent election campaign, had promised to revert to the previous system, where individual universities managed their admissions.
However, the recent APSCHE notification indicated that the common entrance test would continue, breaking that assurance.
Student leaders warned that the current system could further weaken public universities, potentially paving the way for privatisation, which would benefit corporate entities like Adani and Ambani. They demanded the immediate cancellation of the AP PGCET and a return to the previous decentralised admission process to protect public education and ensure access for economically disadvantaged students.
Leaders including Siva Reddy, Chalapathi, Ravi, Akbar, Mallikarjun, Praveen, Uday, Ashok, Chinna, Asha, Chandrasekhar Nayak, Tirumalesh, Yogeswar, among several others participated in the protest along with a large number of students.
