40% diploma seats vacant in colleges affiliated with LUVAS
Deepender Deswal
Hisar , February 3
As many as 440 out of 1,083 seats of the veterinary and livestock development diploma (VLDD) courses in the colleges affiliated to the Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS) are lying vacant.
According to information, the change in the eligibility criteria by the LUVAS for applying for the VLDD course is one of the major factors which has resulted in vacancies in the colleges in the course. The LUVAS officials said there were 17 institutions, including the LUVAS, besides 15 private colleges across the state, which offered the courses of the VLDD. The diploma holders also have scope of government job as veterinary and livestock development assistants (VLDA)
Open to all students Earlier
Earlier, it was open for all students who passed Class XII in any stream. But after the qualification was narrowed down to just the medical stream, the students from other streams are not able to apply for the course. —Pravesh Kumar, Teacher
Last year, the LUVAS authorities restricted the eligibility criteria for admission to the course to Class XII (medical stream). “Earlier, it was open for all students who passed Class XII in any stream. But after the qualification was narrowed down to just the medical stream, the students from other streams are not able to apply for the course,” said Pravesh Kumar, a teacher.
Kumar said that NEET and graduation in the veterinary sciences or agriculture science or even the basic sciences are the top preferences for the students who are from the medical stream. “There are a number of attractive courses for the medical students. This is the reason for the vacancy of seats,” he said. Now, the seats at the Institute of Para Veterinary Sciences (IPVS) on the LUVAS campus which offer 93 seats are filled while a number of seats —mostly management quota seats—in all other 16 private colleges are lying vacant.
The LUVAS has now called for a stray round (physical) counselling for the aspiring students on February 6 in a last ditch attempt to fill the seats. According to officials, the LUVAS has allotted 60 seats to each of 15 colleges while one private institute has 90 seats. Out of 440 vacant seats, 65 seats are for the state quota while remaining 375 are for the management quota, in these 16 colleges.
The head of the Institute of the Para Veterinary Sciences in the LUVAS, Dr Satpal Dahiyal, refused to comment on it stating that they are organising the stray round of counselling to fill the vacant posts.
The veterinary expert said there was a need for a large number of qualified veterinary assistants in villages. “In the absence of qualified veterinary assistants, the touts have flourished in the villages. The unqualified and untrained touts are proving fatal for the livestock there. The authorities should reconsider its decision to impose the qualification of medical stream only,” the expert said.
