Tamil Nadu: New panel to moot courses with job potential in arts & science colleges

CHENNAI: In a bid to provide more job opportunities for the students after completing undergraduate courses, the Higher Education Department has decided to constitute a course review committee to recommend new courses required for government arts and science colleges.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that in 2024-25, two new courses, such as BCA Computer Application and BSc Computer Science, were started in Oddanchatram Government Arts and Science College. “Similarly, in the academic year 2024-25, three new courses, such as MCom, MSc Computer Science and MSc Maths, were started in Perumbakkam Government Arts and Science College,” he added.

However, the official said that several private arts and science colleges have already introduced courses especially in the fields of computer science, and data science, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technologies. “A few self-financing institutions have also modified existing courses like BCom with computer applications,” he added.

Following requests from the academicians and educationists that government arts and science colleges in the state should also have latest and new courses on par with their counterparts in the private institutions, the Directorate of Collegiate Education will soon form a course review panel comprising college principals, industrialists and people representatives to come out with new courses for the arts and science students according to the region specific, he said.

“The panel would review all the existing courses, which was offered by the arts and science colleges, and would provide valuable inputs and suggestions to the government whether to alter the existing course by introducing new subjects or implementing completely new course as per the company’s needs not only in the State but also across the country and abroad,” he pointed out.

Hailing the Higher Education Department’s move to constitute a panel for introducing new courses in arts and science colleges in the State, Anish Kumar, an HR consultant in the city, pointed out that the move to introduce new courses would improve the employment opportunities for the students studying in government institutions. “Communication skills should also be introduced as a separate subject in each new course so that students could face the interview in a confident manner,” he added.

Similarly, S Natarajan, a student career counsellor in the city, also said that the introduction of new courses in the government arts and science colleges will definitely improve the gross enrollment ratio. “It is a good step,” he said.