No takers for food science & tech course

Karimnagar: Like many other courses, the Food Science and Technology course being offered by the Satavahana University is also facing student crunch. Though there are enormous opportunities for FS &T graduates in the food and allied industries, students are not showing much interest to take up the course.

Thanks to the Satavahana University authorities, the two-year post-graduation course is being offered under the self-finance mode, instead of a regular mode. It is the only UGC sponsored University which is offering the Food Science and Technology course in the entire Telangana State.

While some of the students cancelled their admissions after coming to know that the course was being offered under the self-finance mode, some others were not attending the classes regularly. Lack of facilities in the laboratories is also discouraging the students from joining the course.

Each student has to pay Rs 34,000 if he/she wanted to pursue an MSc in FS& T course per year. Thought the students get Rs 20,000 scholarship per annum, they should bear the remaining Rs 17,000 per year and Rs 34,000 for the two years, in addition to the hostel fee. Unable to spend such a huge amount, students are reluctant to take admissions.

Although the total strengthen of a class is 40, the figure never crossed 32. When the course was introduced in 2011, 26 students had joined in the course and the number had risen to 32 in the second year. It has now fallen to 20 during the third year and has again risen to 27 in the fourth year. Now, only 19 students took admission in the course during the present academic year.

Students who completed BSc with Agricultural Sciences were eligible to take admission into the course. The teaching faculty and students recently met the Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari and requested him to take measures to shift the course to the regular mode to attract more students.

Speaking to The Hans India on Friday, a faculty member, on the condition of anonymity, said that there was a possibility to attract students from rural areas if the course was shifted to general mode from the present self finance system. Though a large number of students were applying for the course, not many were taking admission after coming to know that the course was being offered in self finance mode he added.

Nearly 80 per cent of the students were getting jobs in food processing units like bakeries and allied other industries after completion of their course. Majority of the students also got placements in multinational companies such as ITC, Nestle, Parle, Coca-Cola and Pepsi with an initial pay of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, he said.