Dhanbad, March 29: Students pursuing BEd under Vinoba Bhave University (VBU), Hazaribagh, are finding themselves in a tight spot with the varsity suddenly deciding to effect changes in the syllabus at the end of the session.

The changes were executed last week while the session is scheduled to end in May. Angry over the decision, the students have decided to launch an agitation. There are around 1,000 students in nine BEd colleges under VBU.

The new syllabus will compel students to study more chapters. The distribution of marks has also changed. Theory papers will now carry 600 while practicals 400. Earlier, the distribution was just the opposite. Students say that theory papers under the old syllabus have already been completed in majority of the colleges and only the practical portion, which requires them to undergo teachers’ training in schools, is left. Under such circumstances, learning new lessons will be difficult.

Further, they alleged that the university took this decision even after the academic council had earlier decided that the changes would be implemented from the next session in September ’09.

Anuj Kumar of BEd Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti said a delegation of the students would soon meet governor-cum-chancellor of state universities Syed Sibtey Razi.

Anjani, a student of RSP College, Jharia, said: “How will we study when books on the changed syllabus are not available in the market?” Deepak, another student of RSP College, said the increase in the marks in theory portion would make it difficult for them to score.

Teachers were critical, too. A BEd teacher said on the condition of anonymity the university should have taken efforts to bring about changes in the syllabus at the beginning of the session.

However, Ram Badan Singh, in-charge of BEd course at VBU, said: “There are no such major changes that cannot be covered during the remaining time of the course. Besides, the college had been informally informed about the changes last year itself.”