Integrated courses to be recognised in Kerala

KOCHI

: The state-level academic committee (SLAC), which held its first meeting at Cusat with vice-chancellors of 13 state universities on Friday, arrived at a consensus to recognize

integrated

courses such as BS-MS as equivalent to MSc courses.

The committee led by Kerala state higher education council (KSHEC) vice-chairman Rajan Gurukkal reached a consensus that state universities and agencies such as Kerala public service commission (KPSC) should recognize the BS-MS programmes of national institutes. “The consensus reached at SLAC would be conveyed to the state government and universities for implementation,” said KSHEC member secretary Rajan Varughese.

“Students from Kerala who completed integrated courses from IITs, IISc, NITs, IISERs and other national institutes are denied entry for research and jobs in state, citing that the courses are not equivalent to courses offered here by the state universities. Such students are forced to opt for research and jobs outside the state and it is resulting in brain drain,” said KSHEC vice-chairman Gurukkal.

Secondly, KSHEC wanted the government to ensure that KPSC shall not demand equivalency certificate from candidates qualified with integrated courses, Gurukkal said.

It also resolved to ensure reciprocal recognition of degrees awarded by Indian universities or other higher educational institutes as updated by University Grants Commission (UGC).

For instance, masters in environment studies in

Malayalam

language will be equivalent to MSc in environmental science.