"Apart from the post-BSc (tech), post BSc (geo tech), post BSc (electrical) and post-BSc (corrosion tech) are also going to be discontinued," said Dr I I Pandya, a member of the university syndicate.

At a recent syndicate meeting, the Dean of the Technology and Engineering faculty, Professor B S Parekh, proposed that the these courses should be scrapped and the number of the seats in the B E (electrical) increased from 30 to 60. Still awaiting the approval of the state government for scrapping these courses, the dean said that students who do not fare well in bachelor courses, opt out to join management or other professional courses. "Earlier such options were not there and a student after completing a bachelor degree of science wanted to pursue these courses," said Parekh.

Pandya, however, alleges that the relative grading method for selection of students is the main reason for decreasing number of students. According to him, five years ago the criteria for selecting the students through entrance tests became stringent leading to the enrollment of very few students. Citing the example of the post-BSc (geo tech), he said only four students have completed the course in the last 10 years. "These courses were there for the past 20 years and have large number of alumni who are spread all over the world."

According to the present grading system, the last qualifying student has to score a certain percentage of the marks scored by the student who topped the selection test, making high scores a difficult proposition. But the dean of the faculty said the performance of students in the semesters was not up to the mark, which is why they opted out of the course.

Supporting Pandya's opposition to the scrapping of the courses, K V R Murthy, a member of the M S University' Technology Teachers' Association, said that if performance of students was the issue, then the BE results have also been showing a similar pattern as only 24 to 25 per cent students pass the semester examination in the faculty.