Israel field trip ‘divides’ agri-biz mgmt class

Israel field trip ‘divides’ agri-biz mgmt class

The Garware Institute of Career Education and Management of the University of Mumbai has been inundated with letters from two different groups of students of Agri-Business Management (final-year) in which they are targeting each other and seeking ‘justice’ at the on-going campus placement interviews. At loggerheads are 240 students from the 2011-12 batch and 20 from the 2010-11 batch, who were sent to Israel for a year in September 2011 to learn various agri-techniques. They returned in August 2012 with Rs3.5-Rs4 lakh as savings, along with practical experience, and were placed in the same class as their juniors. “These students hardly attended class since August. But they have an edge at campus selection as they have a work experience in Israel. A few of them are also approaching companies individually,” complained a student from the 2011-12 batch. Another student rued: “Last year, only 50% students could be placed. The varsity should have thought about this before integrating the training in Israel into the course.” But the 20 students feel they are being targeted. Vaibhav Mane, one of the 20 students, said: “We didn’t attend class only for a month as we were tired, but the juniors made an issue about it.” Another student said: “The university is to be blamed for this goof up. It was not our choice to do a PG course in three years. We should have been given a benefit of at least one semester.” A top official of the institute had reportedly written to the varsity last year suggesting that students sent for field training should be given a benefit of at least one semester, but the requisition is yet to be considered.