JNTU-H students shy away from non-tech courses

Hyderabad: Students of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H) and about 170 and odd affiliated colleges are free to explore their interest by enrolling in non-technology courses.

According to sources, this facility has been introduced under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and helps the students earn six credits by enrolling in any two non-technology courses. However, lack of information and guidance is making the students unable to make use of benefits coming after the introduction of CBCS.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr M Manzoor Hussain, Director of Admissions, JNTU-H said, “If a student is studying B.Tech is interested in music, history, political science, foreign languages or any of the Indian languages, he or she can enroll in two courses. The only criteria are the courses must be offered by a university or any other recognised institute by the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and other such statutory bodies.”

Further, the course could be pursued through online mode, correspondence mode or on regular mode. If it is regular mode, the students should plan in such a way that it would not come in the way of their schedule of regular course study. That apart, the two courses should be submitted to the JNTU-H which it would consider to give six credits as part of their regular study, he said.

“Out of 170 credits, the students would be evaluated for 164 credits in their core subjects to award B.Tech degree. And, it is for the remaining six credits that the students can study the non-technology courses in any university or Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in the country. This has been introduced in academic year 2017-18 in JNTU-H, following the introduction of CBCS. Further, the university itself is offering nearly 30 courses through online mode under this new initiative,” Manzoor Hussain said.

However, lack of information and guidance is one of the main factors making the students not able to make use of benefits. Besides, the State Higher Education department and the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) have so far not able to facilitate identification of the universities or the autonomous colleges in the State who would offer credit courses in different subjects. These limitations have been letting down students despite the UGC and AICTE allowing them to study credit courses.

For example, the State-run government music colleges and Potti Sriramulu Telugu University are offering certificate and diploma courses in Telugu language and arts. Similarly, the Post Graduate College of Law, Osmania University, University of Hyderabad, NALSAR University of Law, English and Foreign Languages University and others have been offering different certificate and diploma courses.

Students studying degree courses in CBCS pattern under any university are allowed to avail the same kind of facility extended to the student of the JNTU-H. But, this is not yet happening in the degree, postgraduate colleges across the State, the sources said.