Gujarat pharmacy colleges demand separate varsity

If their wish is granted, soon Gujarat will add another name to its list of varsities. Around 250 members who attended a meeting of the association of pharmacy colleges in Gujarat demanded creating a separate university — a Pharmacy University in state — alleging step-motherly treatment by the Gujarat Technological University.

In a recently held annual meeting of pharmacy colleges affiliated to the GTU, around 250 members from different colleges across the state rued the indifference shown to pharma colleges and alleged that often Gujarat Technology University (GTU) and Admission Committee for Professional Course’s (ACPC) favoured engineering colleges more, ignoring pharmacy students’ growth opportunities, their problems and challenges. There are around 100 pharmacy colleges affiliated to the GTU.

President of the association for pharmacy colleges, Dr RK Parikh, also a faculty at the LM College of Pharmacy told DNA that since the authorities at the GTU and ACPC belong to engineering disciplines, decisions are often biased towards engineering colleges. “When pharmacy colleges were affiliated to the Gujarat University, we had a separate Board of Studies. It played important role in shaping pharmacy discipline’s future, designing curriculum etc. However, GTU only has a team of five deans from different zones, which play a pivotal role in designing pharmacy colleges’ way forward. Often their suggestions aren’t implemented at all,” said Parikh.

Citing step-motherly treatment by the varsities and ACPC, he said that while engineering colleges are allowed to fill up vacant seats where students have not reported, pharmacy colleges do not enjoy that facility. The association member also mentioned about the qualification of teachers in engineering colleges and those in pharmacy colleges.

While engineering colleges allow graduate teachers to teach, pharmacy emphasizes on faculty with master degree and doctoral degrees. We do not agree with such terms,” said principal of LM College of Pharmacy, Dr Anita Mehta.

“We have already assigned the work of preparing draft to draw vision and reasons for a pharmacy varsity. We plan to submit the proposal before assembly elections,” said Dr Parikh.