Optional subjects issue: MSW students to protest against order stipulating minimum enrollment

Students of the MSW (Master of Social Work) program at government colleges in Mangaluru are expressing their distress over a recent directive from the Joint Director of Education.

The order states that only subjects with a minimum enrollment of at least 15 students will be eligible for specialization, leaving many students unable to choose their preferred subjects.

During a press conference on Tuesday, MSW second-year student Dikshita highlighted that students are required to select one elective subject—options being Human Resources (HR), Medical Psychiatry, and Community Development. According to government regulations, there is no stipulation that requires a minimum number of students for a course; this rule appears to be applied only to government colleges.

Dikshita stated, “I am interested in choosing HR as my elective, but since there are not enough students for this subject, I now have to opt for something else. This issue was not communicated to us during our first year, and it is affecting 60 to 70 students across four colleges.” She also questioned why such a rule is enforced solely for government colleges and expressed concerns that this situation could impact their future job prospects.

Student leader Nikhil said that the students have previously submitted requests to government officials and representatives regarding this issue, but they have yet to receive a response. As a result, they have organized a protest in front of the mini Vidhana Soudha in Mangaluru on October 23.

Praveen and Swathi, were present at the press conference.