Concern over switching of courses by students midway

FROM A CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, Aug 23: Several pressure groups from the Garo Hills region have urged the Meghalaya government to prevent the switching of courses by students midway in the academic year.   According to these pressure groups switching of courses happen mostly for MBBS courses when the entrance exam results are declared later than the entrance exam results for other courses.  The groups pointed out that students who have successfully cleared the entrance exam for Engineering courses and have availed seats suddenly switch to MBBS courses which in effect impede other students from gaining entry to engineering colleges.  “If we calculate the loss of seats reserved by the state quota over ten years it can be reasobly presumed that around 50-60 seats are lost which means the system has been detrimental to 50-60 students who could have otherwise pursue specialised education,” Garo Students Union (GSU), president Tengsak Gabil Momin said. According to the pressure groups this year, around eight students may not be able to pursue specialised courses in colleges because a few students have decided to switch courses midway.  Meanwhile, the pressure groups have said that bond signed by the students should be enforced if they switch courses. They also stated that there should be coorditing among the various departments to ensure that a student does not reserve seats in several different colleges offering different courses by applying for many courses thereby depriving others.  “It would be helpful to the students if consultancy services are rendered to the students to determine their aptitude and tendency for a particular course by the concerned departments before nomiting or reserving a seat for them under the state quota,” the pressure groups from Garo Hills said even as it called for restricting students from seeking entrance to different colleges under the state quota.