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| Students’ agitation ends with 20% concession | | | MUNISH GUPTA
Jammu, Jan 22: After five weeks of protests and demonstrations an agreement has reached between the student bodies and University of Jammu on open choice in upcoming examination. As per the agreement arrived at after series of discussions, the students have been able to bag some 20 per cent concession in the syllabus.
Sources said that the University authorities had to move promptly after intervention of the Chief Minister’s office on the issue. It is learnt that the Chief Minister was concerned by the sustained protests by students and told the University authorities to resolve matter amicably.
The Jammu University (JU) authorities today held second round of talks with the student leaders and acceded to twenty percent concession in the examination besides assuring that no extra burden would be put on students and the exams will be held as scheduled.
A high level committee headed by Dean Academic Affairs, Jammu University set up by the vice chancellor Prof Varun Sahni on Thursday conceded to students demand ending the month long impasse between students of various degree colleges and the Jammu university authorities over open choice facility.
As per the agreement reached between the two sides at the end of the third round of talks the students agreed to the proposal of the university authorities wherein out of five units unit 1 would be compulsory and the students have the option of attempting four other questions from either rest of the four units or attempting four questions from two other units to ensure maximum attempt.
Before the agreement was reached the two rounds of talks failed to yield any results as both the sides stuck to their stand.
From the students sides student leaders Suresh Magotra, Raj Vir Singh, Preeti Choudhary,Yasir Farooq Khan, Gurdev Singh Thakur participated in the dialogue with the university teachers which included dean Academic affairs Prof BPS Sehgal and his team. Principal of degree colleges have also expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the talks and are looking forward to hold smooth classes to ensure timely completion of syllabus.
Expressing satisfaction over the outcome of the talks and the final agreement reached between the students and the university authorities Suresh Magotra said the students have got more than they were asking for and hailed it as a victory of student’s community who remained united in their fight. Later, students celebrated their victory.
It needs to be mentioned that the students during the two months long Amarnath Agitation and Elections in the state. Moreover the students from all the colleges have been on the roads right from more than one month fighting for the demands of open choice. During the month long agitation they have not only suffered their studies but also some of them have suffered a lot of injuries in the struggle.
On the other hand, the University had no other option but to consider sympathetically the students demand of ‘open choice’. In the initial stage the authorities in the University had decided to take tough stand against the students this year, but could not get the support from the state government which they otherwise supposed to. Even they were forced by the security agencies to consider the students demand favorably, as they (police) were facing law and order problem in the wake of the threat perceptions from the anti-social elements.
Talking to this Correspondent, some senior college teachers felt that the ‘open choice’ given to the students may turn to be a gift of those teachers who have opened tutorials in their homes. They would use this one and half month to accumulate wealth through fee by avoiding the college. They suggested that the University which have academic control over the colleges, must ensure that every teacher should attend to their duties whether there is class work or not.
If, we go through the different stages of the strike, the Principals and University authorities had various meetings during all these days and it was observed that about 60 %, 50-55 % and 45-40 % syllabus was covered at BA/BSc/BCom part I, II and III level respectively in the urban colleges. It was also felt that about 40-50 more teaching days are required to complete the rest of the syllabus.
Demand for ‘open choice’ was an issue which always followed the strikes which comes to Jammu with the Darbar Move every year, especially from the last three years. To bring the things on rail, taking in view the past, the University and the government should formulate some way out to avoid the unrest and dilution of the academic standards.
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