Our institute has cheated us, say multimedia students

MUMBAI: Students of Arena Multimedia Institute in Fort have alleged that they have been cheated by the institute.

Students, who had enrolled for a 18-month course in multimedia management in 2004, are yet to complete their syllabus. “As the teachers are not qualified, the duration of the course has been stretched. We had paid a fee of Rs 80,000,” said a student.

Several other students complained that the faculty was not competent to teach 3D Max, Maya, After Effects, Combustion, Flash and 3D Gaming — all important softwares in multimedia.

“The teaching methods are completely unprofessional and the institute that charged such hefty fees could not even teach us the basics,” said Harsh Thakur, a student. Another student Kunal Jain said, “Teachers are never available in the laboratories. We are asked to conduct the practicals on our own.”

More than 50 students have decided to approach the consumer court and charge the institute with cheating. The institute has, however, said qualified teachers would be recruited.

“We have prepared an action plan for these students. The institute is also planning to recruit an external faculty or someone from the industry to complete the pending syllabus,” said Shyamal Das, an academic head of the Arena Multimedia Institute, Mumbai division. He, however, said the course got extended as the students had gone on long vacations.