Patna: Neither rain nor ongoing Patna University (PU) exams could dampen the enthusiasm of freshers as they stepped into a new phase of their lives on Thursday. The excitement of college life — studying favourite subjects, pursuing extracurricular activities, gaining new-found independence, and making new friends — was evident on their bright faces as they attended their first classes in various PU colleges.
The university’s dean of students’ welfare (DSW), Anil Kumar, said PU was the first state university to start its undergraduate (UG) first-year classes for both four-year general courses and three-year vocational subjects this academic session. According to the academic calendar, almost all PU colleges — Magadh Mahila College, B N College, Patna College, and Vanijya Mahavidyalaya — began classes for the fresh batch a day after their induction. Only Patna Science College will hold its induction meet on July 6, after completing the ongoing round of spot admissions on July 5, as per the college principal D N Thakur.
The DSW said Patna Science College also has a significant number of seats for the ongoing UG second-semester exams. This was why Magadh Mahila College started its UG first-year classes from 2pm. “Since semester exams are ongoing, our classrooms and teachers are mostly engaged in exam duty. So, we decided to call the new students at 2pm. As the exams will continue till Saturday, full-fledged classes can only be held from Monday,” said Magadh Mahila College principal Namita Kumari.
Though most first-year classrooms were empty, the students who came were happy to get introduced to their new teachers, friends, and the subjects of their choice in their introductory classes.
“I made it a point to come to college, no matter what. I had been waiting for this day to explore the college corridors, meet new people, and see what’s in store for the next four years,” said Sana Naaz, a Hindi department student at Magadh Mahila College, adding she was there to grow as an empowered woman.
Other colleges like B N College and Patna College held classes in the morning. “We ensured enough classrooms and faculty members were available to conduct the new batch’s classes,” said Patna College principal Sanjay Kumar Sinha.
Vocational course students, such as Atma Narayan Singh of the BBA programme at Patna College, will have to wait until July 10 for full-fledged classes. “I’m excited but nervous. This week, I’m planning to meet my teachers and batchmates,” said Singh, a resident of Sasaram.
The DSW said around 80-85% of seats in all PU colleges have been filled so far, even with another day of spot admissions and quota-based admissions left. “Certain unpopular subjects like Maithili, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit haven’t filled all seats. Popular subjects include mathematics, zoology, history, political science, geography, English, and BCA,” he said.
He added that more seats were filled this year than last when there was confusion over Common University Entrance Test and the lingering effects of Covid. “PU remains the first choice for students from Bihar and neighbouring states like Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.”