Strict rules enforced by the University of Hyderabad for students who drop out of integrated courses have drawn flak from the student community. The university management refuses to provide any certificates or recognition to dropouts of the courses, however genuine the reason may be.
The university has refused to issue certificates to students who want to exit the courses on the basis that the merit of the courses will be lost. Tufail K.K., fourth-year IMSC student, said: “I am no longer interested in the present science course, I want to pursue Masters in social sciences. Despite my completing four years of the course, the management refuses to give me a certificate.”
Many students claim that the university has misguided them. Arun Lal, third-year IMA social science student, maintained: “The structure of IMA programmes keep changing every year. Most of the time, students are compelled to take up subjects for the sake of completing the credit even if they are not interested in the same. The department holds us responsible for bad academic performance, which, in fact, is the result of inexperienced faculty and poor content of the course.”
T. Athul, final-year IMA HCU pointed out: “The prospectus states different rules for admission and exit process. Even after several requests the university has not introduced a proper exit option.” The university offers courses in two streams, MA Integrated Masters in Arts, (IMA) and M.Sc Integrated Masters in science, offering subjects in sciences, humanities and social sciences.
K.P.N Murthy, head of the integrated courses department, explained: “Students who enroll for these courses must complete five years for certification from the university. The university cannot give recognition to drop-outs. Students should understand that completion of the course will expose them to research and expertise, which they will not get outside.”