OUAT home science students take out a rally on Wednesday in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 14: Hundreds of home science graduates today took to the streets demanding jobs under the women and child development department of the state government.

The students said their course curriculum made them the most suitable candidates for the post of child development project officers in the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), which is functioning at the block level.

The College of Home Science was established under the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology in 1981. The college offers courses in food and nutrition, child development, family resource management, extension education, textile and clothing and home management.

Apart from these, the students are also given exposure to various rural development programmes.

The home science students rued that they were being neglected though their peers from the agriculture, veterinary science, animal husbandry, agriculture engineering, fishery and forestry colleges under the OUAT were being recruited by various government departments.

They claimed that states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil nadu provided home science graduates jobs in their respective women and child development departments. On most occasions, these recruitments took place either on the basis of marks or through reservation for the respective college students.

The students said that recruiters often made a mistake by thinking that their course was related only to home management.

“On the contrary, our course is much more than cooking and baking breads. We are trained to take care of mothers and children in the rural areas. Therefore, the government should consider giving us employment as child development project officers,” said Debi, a home science graduate.

“On most occasions, we have to take up petty jobs upon completion of our course for the sake of earning some money to make a living. If the government cannot provide us with job opportunities, they should not offer such a course here,” said Pratima, another home science student.