Unrecognised degree, no PG path: Why AMU BVoc students are protesting?

Hundreds of students at Aligarh Muslim University’s Community College are stuck.

They have completed a degree they believed would lead to a full five-year technical qualification. But now, they’re left with no next step, and a degree the industry doesn’t recognise.

Hence, we’re looking into an academic crisis that led to a student protest at AMU yesterday, July 22.

On July 22, students at the Community College gathered to demand what they say was promised to them: a chance to complete their Master of Vocation (MVoc) after finishing their three-year Bachelor of Vocation (BVoc) course.

But instead, the students allege that they were manhandled by police, and their banners were also torn down during the demonstration.

Why are the students protesting?

The students had enrolled in the BVoc course based on AMU’s 2022-23 prospectus, which stated it was part of a five-year integrated programme. The idea was: three years of BVoc, followed by two years of MVoc. But the university has still not launched the master’s course.

Now, because of policy changes under the National Education Policy 2020, a four-year undergraduate degree is required to pursue most technical postgraduate programmes, including MVoc. That means their three-year qualification not only doesn’t get them jobs, it also doesn’t qualify them for higher studies.

Students say they have tried every possible channel over the past six months, including submitting formal representations and securing internal faculty support. They also staged a peaceful protest on May 30 and received verbal assurances. But there has been no follow-up from the authorities.

Frustrated, they appealed to the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, and even said they were willing to pursue the MVoc on a self-financed basis.

Many of these students come from modest backgrounds and enrolled in the course as part of the government’s Skill India initiative.

All they’re asking for is a chance to finish the course they signed up for.