Patna, Feb. 4: For the first time in three decades, MBA students of Patna University bagged jobs on the campus with its placement cell becoming operational.

Total 11 students from the department of applied economics and commerce were selected for marketing jobs. Reliable Aryavarta Communication Private Limited, a Patna-based company, recruited the 11 students with an annual pay package of Rs 1.5 lakh.

B.N. Pandey, the director and in-charge of the placement cell, distributed the offer letters to the selected students. He said: “In future, many companies will visit the institute, the placement of these students will give an inspiration to the rest of the students.”

The students who bagged the jobs were visibly elated. More so as they can boast of being the first students from the course to have achieved the feat. The students admitted the annual package was not anything spectacular, but “the feeling of being among the first few” has made them happy.

This year, the university had taken an initiative to place the students of the department after students’ protests, demanding a placement cell that would help them bag a job. The students of MBA (master in business administration) and master in finance control (MFC) departments continued their agitation for a long time. The department decided to set up a placement cell in December last year.

The Telegraph had raised the issue of students’ plight in December last year. The report had stated how the students, most of who hail from the middle class, were facing difficulties in getting jobs after passing out from the university.

The department of applied economics and commerce in the university runs three courses —MBA, MFC and master in commerce.

The MBA department had become functional in Patna University since 1977, without any placement cell. The students protested that they were not being able to compete with the students from private institutes simply because there was no placement cell in the department to assist them. “There are issues with the infrastructure and the facilities at various departments, but as of now we are very happy. We hope more companies will come forward,” a student told The Telegraph today.

Amit Jha, a student of the MBA department, said: “This is just the beginning. Many companies have shown interest in visiting the institute, which was not seen earlier.”

Patna University has also given approval to the department for starting their website. The students of the department will also organise an alumni meet this month.

Sarweshwar Natrajan, a student of MBA final year told The Telegraph: “We want to organise more alumni meets in the coming days. That would help us, as our seniors will get to know the developments and changes the department has gone through in the past few years.”

Natrajan said many passouts of the course were working in top positions in various companies and getting to interact with them directly would help the students as well. “They can also help the students passing out of the institute in finding jobs,” he said.