Are basic sciences losing ground?

Updated on: Tuesday, June 08, 2010

The Tamil Nadu Government has reduced minimum eligibility marks by five per cent for admission to Engineering courses from 2010-11 purportedly to widen opportunities for rural students, much to the relief of managements of self-financing engineering colleges. Last year, there were 51,000 vacant seats across the 440 engineering colleges.

The minimum eligibility marks in Plus Two examinations has been reduced to 50 per cent from 55 per cent for students from open category, 45 from 50 for the Backward Classes and 40 from 45 for the Most Backward class students. For Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, a mere pass with 35 percentage of marks would be enough.

Over two lakh applications are reported to have been sold for the 1.08 lakh seats to be filled through the single-window system. Whether or not the relaxation of eligibility will reflect in the filling of most seats remains to be seen. But arts and science colleges are definitely not amused by the figures. Their apprehension that engineering education is being promoted at the cost of basic sciences has grown.

Till a few years ago, arts and science colleges used to admit students to select basic science courses based on rank-lists. The prevailing situation is that colleges admit students to all courses as they come to ensure enough strength and be on the safer side, lament principals of arts and science colleges.

According to K. Anbarasu, principal of National College, Tiruchi, the neglect of basic sciences is bound to reflect on the quality of engineering programmes in the long run. His reasoning is that engineering courses being more or less off-shoots of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology, admission of ‘residual' students to basic science programmes will cause a debilitating impact on research in engineering disciplines as well. “Lowering of eligibility need not be a cause for concern. Awareness among parents is on the rise and the engineering colleges bereft of infrastructure or placement records are certain to be ignored,” points out M. Ponnavaikko, vice-chancellor, Bharathidasan University.

Arts and science colleges with excellent facilities and faculty will continue to be in demand, he said. “The four-year B.S. programme to be introduced this year by Bharathidasan University for the first time in the State will be a viable alternative for engineering courses. The fact is that students will derive the best education in ideal environments at a much lesser cost,” says Prof. Ponnavaikko.

According to P.S. Joseph, principal of Thanthai Hans Roever College of Arts and Science in Perambalur district, it is still too early to predict the admission trend. Yet, he, too, feels the status quo may not be altered significantly. “So what if the eligibility is lowered? With hidden costs, an engineering course is still unaffordable for poor parents in rural areas,” observes Dr. Joseph.

“The performance of rural students in the 2010 Plus Two examinations is heartening. But there will be trouble when they land in useless colleges in their clamour for engineering,” apprehends P.S. Manisundaram, the first vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University and the first principal of Regional Engineering College, Tiruchi (now NIT - Tiruchi). “Are there enough job opportunities? Expansion of human resource should not be haphazard,” he says. Here is where the need for a concerted approach by the Ministries of Labour and HRD arises, he explains.

Are basic sciences losing ground?

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