Eleanora came all the way from Kerala to finish her master’s in clinical psychology from Christ University. But a few months before she completes the course, the tag ‘University’ has vanished from the name of the college. And there are many students who will face the same dilemma as other colleges in the city will also be affected. But for most students the college is much more than just a name and university tag or not, they would go by the ranking and education imparted.
“They make us work hard and help us evolve into better people. I am a dancer and have always dreamt of dancing on the big stage. Only after coming to college I got the opportunity to dance. Also, the library, data base and extracurricular activities are good. I am quite sure that the quality of education you get here is much better than other colleges that are deemed as universities,’’ said Eleanora EC, who is a final year post-graduate student.
Like Bengaluru’s most loved Christ University, others will also have to rechristen themselves as the University Grants Commission (UGC) diktat has asked for the tag ‘university’ to be removed. A total of 29 educational institutions will have to drop the ‘university’ tag.
The change means ‘nothing’ to the students as they feel that changing the tag will not lower standards or affect the quality of education availed. For many, their college is always a space to evolve and progress.
Final year student Kranti Purandare also says that removal of the tag ‘university’ will not be a life-changing factor as long as the college maintains the current standard and quality of education.
“For me, the quality of education, exposure and knowledge that an institution provides is more important than whether it is called ‘university’ or ‘deemed to be university,’’ said Kranti.
A few students are curious about the change and contemplate whether the change is going to affect their plans to go abroad for further studies.
“When I came here, it was called a university but it will not be the same in the certificates when we pass out. I am just curious whether this will affect when we apply for jobs or further studies in universities abroad,’’ said Anjali S Nair, a post-graduate student.
Senior faculty Vani MN, who recently retired as the HOD of the Mass Communication department at a city-based college opines that the removal of the ‘university’ tag will definitely affect the significance of the degree, though it might have little or no effect on the faculty or students. “I simply don’t understand what these universities have been doing all this while. The significance of the degrees will surely be an issue, when the college suddenly loses its ‘university’ tag,’’ said Vani MN.
