Berhampur: Even as efforts are underway to improve the academic system at Berhampur University, concerns have grown over the future of its post-graduation (PG) in Women’s Studies.
No students have enrolled in the programme for the past two years, raising questions about its continuity. University officials are currently deliberating whether to discontinue the course or retain it.
The self-financing programme was launched in 2022 with an intake capacity of 24 students. It was designed to focus on gender awareness and women’s empowerment, aiming to address issues such as gender discrimination and sexual harassment, while also promoting social empowerment initiatives for women.
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Experts say the programme remains relevant, especially at a time when gender sensitisation campaigns are being conducted in educational institutions and various government measures are underway to empower women.
However, they question why no review was carried out when the enrolment of girl students began to drop. They believe the first step after the decline should have been to assess the reasons for the lack of interest among female students in taking up the course and identify measures to attract them.
With no such efforts made, the situation repeated itself this year. Not a single student has enrolled in the programme for 2025–26. Last year, only one student joined the course but later dropped out.
The university also offers facilities for research, with two women currently pursuing PhD degrees in gender studies. However, enrolment in some specialised courses has remained low.
For instance, the Linguistics department has only four students against 30 available seats. The MSc in Computer Science has seven students against the strength of 24 seats, the Electrical Science department has 18 students against 40 seats, and Home Science has 22 students against 50 available seats. Enrolment in the MBA in Tour and Travel Management, Sociology, and Public Administration programmes is also limited.
University authorities have yet to decide whether these programmes should continue or be discontinued. When contacted, Vice Chancellor Professor Geetanjali Dash said the courses will be reviewed before a final decision is taken.
The matter will be discussed at the upcoming syndicate meeting. However, she confirmed that the Women’s Studies Research Centre will continue to function.
PNN
