A PG course from government college that assures self-employment
M.Sc Aquaculture from Nandanam Arts College continues to offer 100% placement, say faculty
The Government Nandanam Arts College is reviving its M.Sc in Aquaculture. The college was the only one to offer the course under its Department of Zoology, apart from fisheries institutes and was much in demand until the early 2000s.
K. Ramalingam, a retired professor of the department, recalled that it was launched as a self-financing course in the 1990s. “We used to conduct entrance tests to admit students. There are avenues for self-employment,” he said.
According to faculty in the department, by 1998 the course had helped many graduates develop into entrepreneurs. The course was much in demand, bringing students from as far as northeastern States and West Bengal to the college. At one time 350 candidates applied for 16 seats, said College Principal C. Jothi Venkateswaran.
“At that time, we were cultivating tiger prawns. In the academic year 2003-04, we launched it as a government programme. At that time the veterinary university was the only institution offering M.Sc Aquaculture in Thoothukudi,” Mr. Ramalingam said. He is the only professor to receive a Doctor of Science in Aquaculture. “Despite opposition from the Thoothukudi college we framed the syllabus for freshwater, marine and brackish water aquaculture,” he said.
The syllabus includes subjects such as marine ecology, economic importance of aquaculture, cultivation of ornamental fishes, genetics, biochemistry, morphology classification, physiology and immunology.
However, interest in the subject dwindled after a viral attack in the prawn farms across the country, the professors say. Students did not flock to the course as more colleges had started offering similar courses. Also, the viral attack on prawn farms had forced large scale farms, including multinational companies, to shut them down.
With the admission for postgraduate programmes having been launched, the department is hoping to revive interest among students. R. Krishnamurthy, an assistant professor in the department, who is an alumnus of the college and has a Ph. D in aquaculture, said a few of his batchmates are heads of departments in leading multinational companies. “They come to the campus for recruitment. Even today 100% placement is assured,” he said.
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