BU thinking of decentralising PG admissions

BANGALORE, May 14, 2013 Agriculture universities in the State may have started centralised admissions from this academic year. Medical and engineering admissions may be further streamlined with the introduction of single national entrance tests. But Bangalore University (BU), probably one of the few public universities with centralised admissions to its postgraduate (PG) courses, is planning to go in the opposite direction by reverting to the decentralised admission system. Vice-Chancellor B. Thimme Gowda told The Hindu that discussions were on to follow a “different procedure” for the PG admissions; one that does not involve the software used for the centralised admissions. This, he said, was being done to “minimise expenditure”. This issue was raised at a meeting in April when it was resolved to form a committee to look into the matter. The committee, though, is yet to be formed when the university is trying to shrug off its reputation of beginning postgraduate admissions late, by starting in August this year. However, those advocating the centralised admission system are terming the move to eliminate the usage of software as good as going back to the decentralised system. “Yes, there was an increase in expenditure, but that was because more services were added. The first year was just a skeletal model, but by the fourth year we had even started giving acknowledgement slips and hostel admissions online,” an official said. Those who have been closely associated with the four-year-old centralised system say that it was extremely student-friendly. Advantages “With one application, students could apply for eight courses. Counselling could be done simultaneously for all of them. It was advantageous for the faculty too as the manpower necessary for the centralised system was fewer. Managing the numbers (an average of 4,000 seats every year for 58 courses) was easy. Students could know about vacant seats in courses,” they say. Though the possibility of going back to regular faculty-wise admissions is still in the discussion-stage, those in favour of the centralised system have termed it a retrograde step.