Patna, June 8: Patna University has been witnessing a mad rush, as the last date for submitting admission forms on June 22, draws near.

Patna University, the smallest varsity in the state, runs the largest number of vocational courses. The university runs around 71 vocational courses, many of them are job-oriented ones and have a huge demand among the student fraternity. The courses include safety management, functional English, bachelor in computer applications, masters in business administration, bachelor in business applications, biotechnology, biochemistry, financial management, geo-hydrology and others.

However, the biggest drawback is that most of these courses suffer from faculty crunch and lack of infrastructure.

Patna University Teachers’ Association general secretary Randhir Kumar Singh said: “Though the university runs a large number of vocational courses, most of these suffer from insufficient teacher strength. For the past decade, there has been no major appointment of teachers at the university level. Teachers from traditional subjects are being assigned the job of running these courses.”

These hurdles, notwithstanding, there is a huge demand for these courses. Postgraduate diploma in industrial management is one of the most sought after course because of its employability factor.

Geeta Sinha Bariar, the course co-ordinator of PGDIM, said: “Students get jobs in construction companies and other sectors after completing their one-year diploma.” There are 50 seats for the course and many students have got placed in India and abroad.

Another course, which has a good demand is MA in rural studies as students find jobs in non-government organisations and self-help groups. The two-year course has 50 seats.

Bachelor in biotechnology at BN College too, is a popular course. The demands for this subject can be assumed from the fact that around 2,000 students apply for the course every year. The course has 30 seats.

M.N. Sinha, a senior teacher of BN College, said: “The students getting a degree in bio-technology are preferred in pharmacological and research laboratories.”

Sinha added many students from BN College have been absorbed in National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore. The bachelor in functional English course has also gained popularity because many students opt for careers in call centres now. The course is offered at BN College and students are taught English with emphasis on pronunciation and accent.

Communicative English with media studies, too, is a top draw, with students getting jobs in media houses and public relations agencies after completion of the course. The three-year course is offered at Patna Women’s College. Stuti Prasad, a teacher of the college, said: “Every year, there is huge rush in this course and admission is conducted on the basis of an entrance test followed by an interview.”