Students’ protests on Tuesday prompted Jadavpur University to shelve its plans to change the timing of placement interviews.

A large number of engineering students demonstrated in front of the conference hall where senior officials were discussing whether the placement interviews could be deferred from March to May or July.

The students, who fear the new schedule would deny them the opportunity to be recruited by top-rung companies, dispersed only after an official came out and announced that there would be no change in the timing right now.

“As of now, there will be no change in the timing of campus interviews,” registrar Rajat Bandyopadhyay later said.

The authorities had earlier decided not to host the interviews in March to prevent disruption of classes. “We want the interviews to be held during the summer vacation in May or in July, when academic activities are comparatively less,” said an official.

“Classes are held in full-swing in March but third-year students do not get to attend them because of the placement interviews. This results in the deterioration of the academic standard. There are some companies which recruit only one student from a department but all the students stay away from class to appear in the interview,” the official explained.

The students, however, claimed that March-April is the best time for campus interviews. “Top-of-the-line recruiters won’t come in May or July, as campuses everywhere host interviews in March-April. If the schedule is changed, the authorities will have to ensure the presence of the best companies,” said an agitating student. “And if there is any change in the timing, we will have to be taken into confidence.”

Registrar Bandyopadhyay said: “All our students must get the best possible placement and there should also be no compromise on the academic standard that has been achieved over the decades. We need to strike a balance between the two.”