Gaya: Nearly 100,000 Intermediate students of the 2016-18 and 2017-19 sessions are ineligible to participate in the union elections either as voter or as contestant. These students are enrolled in 44 constituent units of Magadh University.

"Deprived of any representation in the college union, these students are destined to fend for themselves," said Ajay Kumar, an Intermediate student at Gaya College.

"The students' exclusion from the election process violates the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution," said Deepak, an Intermediate student of AM College, Gaya. "Like degree students, we too, pay tuition fees and are hit by lack of amenities, like library, laboratory, play field and common room etc."

Magadh University vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Qamar Ahsan said Intermediate students are not part of the university system, which recognises only post-graduate degree aspirants and registered PhD course scholars as part of its system. The polls are being conducted as per statute framed for the purpose and the statute does not recognise Intermediate students as part of the university system, he said.

University sources said the statute for union elections was framed by adopting recommendations in the Lyngdoh committee report. The committee did not recognise Intermediate students as part of the university system, sources said. The votes will be cast, counted and results declared on March 17.

ABVP leader Rupesh Kumar favoured inclusion of Intermediate students in the poll process but said it was too late now. They will take up the case next time, he said.

RTI activist Brajnandan Pathak criticised the state government for failing to delink Intermediate education from degree colleges.

Except for Patna University, where Intermediate course teaching was stopped a few years back, no other university of the state has delinked Intermediate Education from degree colleges.

Though the same teachers teach both Intermediate and degree level students, there is a separate system for the conduct of exam and publication of results. The Bihar School Senior Secondary Exam Board conducts exams for Intermediate students while respective universities conduct the exams for respective colleges.

The continuation of Intermediate education in degree colleges has put additional pressure on the overworked teachers. About 60 per cent of teaching positions at Magadh University are lying vacant. The existing teachers have to take both theory and practical classes of Intermediate students.