Israel has discontinued the 11-month “Work, earn and learn” training programme of Agri-business management students of Mumbai University from this academic year.
Under the programme, Israel was offering free one-year training to 22 students of Post-graduate Diploma of Agri-business Management of Garvare Institute of Career Education and Development of the varsity every year since 2011.
“Many students left the training midway in 2011-12 and 2012-2013 causing problems to the farmers with whom they were working,” said an official of the Israel consulate in Mumbai. This has ended the two- year-old relationship between the university and Israeli company-AgroStudies, which had offered the programme. The abrupt end will hamper the prospects of any future collaboration.
The students who attended the training programme in 2011-12 blamed the strenuous work regime in the greenhouse as the primary reason behind the dropout. Out of the 22 students, 14 students of 2012-13 batch are currently completing their training in Israel. Eight returned to India.
When dna contacted a couple of students who left the course midway, they alleged, “Being management students, we expected some intellectual training session as we do aspire to become entrepreneurs. Instead we were put to physical work throughout the 11 months. So we returned within four months.”
According to sources, majority of the students who enrolled in the course are from tribal and rural background and they were paid hefty amount as remuneration for their work in Israel. A student who completed the training said, “I have earned close to Rs1.4 lakh in 11 months as stipend.”
Orna Sagiv, Consul General of Israel, with whose initiative the programme was launched, said, “AgroStudies is a private institution which collaborates with universities from countries across Asia and Africa. For the last two years students from Mumbai University went to Israel. I have no idea what is the status this year as it keeps changing according to policies of AgroStudies.”
AgroStudies officials couldn’t be reached for comment. An email sent by this paper went unanswered.
Prof Rambhau Badode, director of the Garvare Institute of Career Education and Development, admitted that the programme has ended due to “some issues”. “MoU was only for two years which was to be extend depending upon new terms, but this couldn’t materialise,” said Prof Badode.
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