Bengaluru: Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is likely to make Scouts and Guides a compulsory credit for students from this year. Students will have to earn one credit through this activity to graduate.The decision was announced by VTU vice-chancellor S Vidyashankar on the sidelines of a principals’ meet at a private hotel Tuesday. At the event, Bharat Scouts & Guides (BSG) Karnataka urged VTU to take up the cause. There are around 3 lakh students under VTU’s 200 affiliated colleges.PGR Sindhia, state chief commissioner of BSG Karnataka, said, “This is a character-building organisation. Those who join will develop service and dedication. The programme focuses on self-development, leadership, community service and outdoor adventure. We recently discussed incorporating this in the curriculum at a vice-chancellors’ meeting held in Mumbai.”“Arts and science, and professional colleges should introduce Scouts and Guides, especially Rangers and Rovers. We have written to Karnataka State Higher Education Council about this previously as well,” he said.“There were circulars from the department asking students to take it up. But neither was it compulsory, nor were there any credits attached to it. It was thus never seriously implemented. This is the reason we have approached VTU and requested to introduce it as a credit-based course,” he added.There are over 50 credit courses in VTU, of which some are compulsory. NCC is a minor credit course in VTU, which is not compulsory. As per the national credit framework, a university can introduce credit courses with a minimum of 20 to 40 credits.BSG has also urged VTU to start a certificate course to train teachers to teach Scouts and Guides to address the shortage of such teachers across the state. “We want VTU to run a special course to have trained teachers. As we provide the syllabus, it doesn’t add to university expenditure,” Sindhia opined.
