MUMBAI: Though commerce and self-financed courses remain popular choices for students, there is a growing interest in BSc and BA too. While enrolment in BCom has gone up by 31%, compared to last year, the number of students taking up BSc and BA has gone up by 65% and 52% respectively. Academicians said loss of interest in engineering courses was the prime factor behind the shift to pure sciences. Among self-financed courses, BSc-IT recorded the lowest rise in enrolment of around 19 %, according to figures compiled by Mumbai University. Science colleges claimed that this year fewer students cancelled seats after engineering and medical admissions got over. At K C College, 50% students, who take admissions to science courses post-HSC results, usually cancel seats. This year, however, the cancellations were not more than 10%, said principal Manju Nichani. Salary packages for science graduates and engineering pass-outs (excluding those from top-rung colleges) are almost the same, she added. Also, fees for engineering and medical courses are on the higher side, and students have to invest many years to get the degree, said Nichani. Another trend is that life sciences are gaining popularity, compared to physics and chemistry, the principal said. Vijay Joshi, principal of K J Somaiya College of Commerce and Science, said many science colleges in the city had also seen a rise in the number of students opting for postgraduate courses in science. Some courses in microbiology and biotechnology this year saw more applications than the seats available, said a professor from Mithibai College. Colleges are keen on increasing their intake in science and arts courses, after the increase in demand. Most self-financed courses under the commerce faculty have witnessed around 50% growth in enrolment, with maximum growth recorded in BCom (financial market), of 60%. Principals attribute the demand for self-financed courses to greater employability rate. The overall enrolment in traditional and self-financed courses has also gone up this year by close to 40%, showing the growing interest in courses offered by the university. Commerce dean, Madhu Nair, said, The marketability of courses offered by the university has gone up after implementation of the credit system. More students from other boards, who want to pursue higher studies abroad, find the credit system beneficial. Also, credit transfer to foreign universities is possible with the new evaluation pattern. Also this year, many more cleared HSC exams, compared to previous years, he added. This year, 81% state board students passed the HSC exams in Mumbai, which was the highest success rate in at least five years. Even as demand for self-financed courses is increasing, teachers are concerned about the skewed teacher-student ratio in classrooms. The class strength was supposed to be 60 when the courses were launched, but after allowing colleges to increase seats every year, the numbers at some colleges have gone up to 72, and it may get worse in few years, said a teacher. #TimesofIndia
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 02:14:53 +0000
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