COIMBATORE: Students and teachers have urged Bharathiar University to drop what they called “indirect steps” to shut its Higher Education Extension Centre in Erode. They urged the university to strengthen the centre by shifting operations to an own building with basic academic infrastructure.Dr A Balasankar, zonal chairman (Zone IV) of the Association of University Teachers, Tamil Nadu, said the centre was opened in 2013 in a rented facility on a private college campus on the Perundurai Road. It offers six postgraduate programmes — MBA, MA English, MA Tamil, MCA, and MSc in mathematics and computer science — besides research guidance for about 35–40 scholars. As per its sanctioned intake, the six PG courses together can admit 360 students over two years.However, current enrolment has dropped to 71 PG students and 36 research scholars, he said, attributing the decline to delays in admissions and inadequate facilities. He pointed to a lack of proper computer laboratories, which he said had left 60 seats vacant in computer science-related programmes. Admissions at the extension centre begin later than in the university departments in Coimbatore, affecting intake. Last year, admissions were held in July, and only 58 students joined five PG courses against 150 available seats, he said. An earlier schedule in May or June could have improved enrolment and reduced the burden on economically weaker students who turn to private colleges, he added.Balasankar alleged that citing financial strain and low admissions, the university syndicate had repeatedly moved resolutions to close the centre, bringing the proposal four times. Opposition forced the administration to allow it to continue, he said.Student leaders echoed concerns. S Amal Unnikrishnan, state executive member of the All India Students Federation, alleged that unpaid dues to temporary faculty contributed to staff attrition and that the centre lacked visibility, basic facilities and adequate teaching strength. He highlighted affordability, saying MBA education in private institutions could cost around Rs 2.5 lakh, while the extension centre costs about Rs 40,000, with scholarships available for SC/ST students.A student said a single teacher was handling entire courses and that only 5–6 of 10 computers were functional, affecting learning outcomes.Registrar of Bharathiar University Prof Dr R Rajavel said there was no plan to close the centre. He said the university was going to move from a rented facility costing Rs 1 lakh per month to a new building where it would pay only miscellaneous charges, with a field inspection completed and a final decision expected in the upcoming syndicate meeting. He said steps were under way to plan a university-owned building and introduce new courses in the next one to two years, adding that relocation to a more prominent area would improve admissions.
