PANJIM: The four Goa University departments that have been seeing low enrollment have fared no better this year, but what’s encouraging is that some students are opting for elective courses from among these departments in addition to the mandatory courses from the disciplines they are pursuing.
The departments of French, Portuguese, Centre for Latin American Studies and Women Studies continue to get less than 50 per cent of the total seats allotted. Nonetheless, students pursuing PG in other disciplines are choosing from a wide range of elective courses wherein the two foreign languages are in high demand. Varsity Registrar Vijayendra Kamat said the flexibility to choose the learning comes in the wake of the implementation of centrally approved Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).
“There is an increasing trend, particularly among students pursuing Masters in Commerce, going for French or Portuguese as optional subjects. Each course is assigned a fixed number of credits. One credit is allocated to 15 contact hours. This is in addition to completing compulsory courses from the discipline they are pursuing,” he said speaking to Herald.
The increasing fondness for foreign languages is considering their requirement in multinational companies. In the past, Kamat revealed, students with mathematical and international language backgrounds were preferred compared to other students. However, Science students continue to dominate the job industry.
The new system also allows students to undergo additional/value added courses and acquire more than required number of credits, depending upon his or her aptitude. The term ‘credit’ defines the quantum of contents/syllabus prescribed for a course and determines the minimum number of teaching-learning hours required. One credit denotes 15 hours of instructions per semester in case of theory course. “It is advantageous as it opens up possibilities for students pursuing skills and courses of their choice to enhance their employability,” he commented.
The GU’s worry is to get fulltime students for the four PG departments that have less intake. While French and Portuguese are sanctioned 10 seats each, International Studies and Women Studies have 15 seats each.
“The drawback is that these are not full-fledged studies at the undergraduate level. Since there is no awareness especially from the employment point of view, students prefer going for other studies than opting for these,” Kamat said.
The respective faculties are on the job disseminating information to students about attractive placements on pursuing such programmes. To draw more students, GU has also popularized the courses by starting certificate and diploma programmes not just for its existing students pursuing other disciplines but also the general public.
