Current BTech batch safe, HRD min tells students

NEW DELHI: The guidelines for the migration of the current batch of FYUP students to a three-year programme will come on Monday through the UGC. Students of BTech courses have been "assured" by the HRD ministry that their interests-and degree-will be protected. But till these are stamped and signed, students are a worried lot.
Saturday saw more protests."We went to the HRD office today," says Shobhit Agarwal, a FYUP batch computer science student at Hansraj, "After about one-and-a-half hours, we were told they will not touch the BTech batch."
At the vice chancellor's office, the pro-FYUP group tried to co-op the BTech one. "We aren't in favour of or against FYUP. Our only issue is BTech," he states. Agarwal doesn't think being the only batch of FYUP BTechs will impact their careers adversely. "There was a course in BIT/BIS (bachelor of information technology and bachelor of information sciences) that also ran for a few batches but they got very good placements," reasons Agarwal.
Bachelor in management studies students are upset too. "As ours will be the only batch, we're unsure about placements," says Karan Sharma from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.
Others think FYUP was introduced too hastily. "The plan which should have taken around two years was made and executed within two months. Now that the course is scraped, students are facing the problem of covering three-years' syllabus in two. I suppose there should be an option to go to the college for an extra year, so students can choose whichever one suits them," says Rishabh Ahuja, commerce student at SGTB Khalsa.
"I'm not really sure what to expect in my second year. After completing a year of FYUP, I was hoping the kinks could be ironed out. Scrapping it is going to result in chaos for our batch for our batch," says Aditi Joshi who's studying political science at Lady Shri Ram College.
"What FYUP has set rolling is uncertain and pushed us completely in the dark. I am currently studying for a degree which might not even be recognized," says Parisraja Bajpai who's in BTech psychology at Gargi College.