S. Vishnu Sharma
There is happy news with regards to graduate and post graduate courses related to agriculture. Maharashtra Government granted professional status to 11 courses at graduate and post graduate level being offered by four agricultural universities across Maharashtra.
Government of Maharashtra is said to have issued a circular on 5 March this year mentioning that 11 courses at graduate and post graduate level have been brought under the ambit of professional status.
However, Diploma and Doctoral students of these universities are still not happy with the government’s move, as these courses were not granted professional status.
Agriculture courses
Sources say the move has been taken keeping in view the constant demand from students. What is the benefit of this move? The students studying these courses will stand to gain. They will be eligible for reimbursement of tuition fee.
However, diploma and doctoral courses are said to have been kept out of professional status ambit. And, students are said to have been demanding that these courses also get the same status. The matter regarding granting professional status to the agricultural courses is said to have come into limelight in 2019 itself.
A resolution is said to have been issued then by Maharashtra Government seeking clarity with regards to nomenclature of courses offered by agricultural universities. The resolution is said to have clearly mentioned that diploma, post graduate and doctoral courses are non-professional.