GUWAHATI, July 30 � Assam Engineering College (AEC), the first engineering college of the State, today faced a serious controversy with the students opposing the shifting of affiliation of the college to the newly formed Assam Science and Technology University. However, the Vice Chancellor of the university P Goswami said that the confusion on the issue would be over soon.
The students of the Engineering College today staged a demonstration in front of the Assam Science and Technology University opposing the Government order to shift the affiliation of the college to the new university from the current session.
General secretary of the college students� union Pranab Gogoi said that the new university does not have the necessary infrastructure and it is still functioning from a rented house. The new university also has not been able to finalise its syllabus and no teacher from either the Assam Engineering College or Jorhat Engineering College was included in the syllabus committee. He said that the Government should not force the AEC to shift affiliation and demanded that the college, which was established way back in 1955, should not be brought at par with the private engineering colleges.
The students of the AEC also demanded that the college, along with the Jorhat Engineering College, should be upgraded to the level of Indian Institute of Technology.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Goswami said that the university would soon hold a meeting with the principals, teachers and students of the Government engineering colleges to clear the confusion. He said some students even had the misconception that the university was a private one, which was not a fact.
On the allegation that the university did not have necessary infrastructure, Goswami said that they had the necessary infrastructure to hold examinations and formulate syllabus. �We do not have to hold classes and we have the infrastructure to hold examinations. However, the permanent building of the university is being constructed near the AEC and the same would be ready by December,� he added.
