Polytechnic Students Protest GO 97 Over 3-Yr Diploma, Lateral Entry Fears
They also sought assurances that diploma holders would retain the option of joining engineering degree courses through lateral entry.
Hyderabad:Students pursuing polytechnic courses have opposed government order (GO) 97, saying it had created uncertainty over the future of the three-year diploma programme and the lateral-entry system. At a protest outside the State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET) office on Monday, students and their representatives, including members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), demanded that the government withdraw the order and clarify whether the existing three-year diploma structure would continue.
“We want the government to clarify whether the three-year diploma programme and lateral-entry system will continue. Students should not be left uncertain about their academic future,” said Prithvi, ABVP Greater Hyderabad city secretary. They also sought assurances that diploma holders would retain the option of joining engineering degree courses through lateral entry.
Students opposed any move to replace the three-year programme with a six-month or one-year certificate course. The representatives said GO 97 had left students unclear about the duration of their courses and their academic progression after completing a diploma. “The government must issue written assurances and address these concerns at the earliest,” Prithvi told Deccan Chronicle.