Nearly 500 Public Health Institute students on Tuesday boycotted classes and locked the entrance to the college, accusing the administration of turning their degree course into a vocational course, a claim the institution denied.

Second-year paramedical students pursuing bachelor in medical lab technology, operating theatre technology, ophthalmic technology and radio imaging technology barred the college employees, including director Rashmi Rekha, from entering the campus on Ashok Rajpath. They claimed they had enrolled in a four-year degree course but the health department had initiated efforts to change it into a three-year vocational course.

"When we were admitted, we were told the course was of four years with another six months of internship," said medical lab technology student Jai Prakash, one of the protesters. "But now we are being told that the course has been turned into a three-year one."

College director Rashmi Rekha and health department officials, however, claimed the bachelor courses always had a three-year duration, and no efforts were being made to turn it into a vocational course.

The authorities said the students must had misunderstood something, and they also lifted their protest on intervention of the health department.

Sources said the director assured them the health department would look into the students' demand of a four-year degree course.

Deputy secretary in the health department Anil Kumar, who is also the spokesperson, said the paramedical courses were a three-year degree curriculum from the beginning.

"The course had been notified for three years according to the government's notification. There were demands from students to increase the course duration to four years but we cannot change it mid-session," he said. "Increasing the paramedical courses by a year is, however, on the cards as it has been approved by the health department committee. But this will not be applicable for the present batch of students."

Sources said the health department notified the institution on Ashok Rajpath as a centre for bachelors' degree courses in paramedical sciences in 2011. It was affiliated to Aryabhatta Knowledge University in 2012, and remains the single pioneering institute of the state government for conducting paramedical teaching and training.

Students are enrolled in paramedical courses through competitive examinations held by the Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board.