Gujarat University (GU)-affiliated CU Shah College, which is located on Ashram Road, has decided not to admit any students for the academic year 2023–24. At least 1,200 applicants for admission to programmes at CU Shah Commerce College, CU Shah Science College, CU Shah Institute of Science, and CU Shah Institute of Computer Application will be impacted by the change.
Academicians on the college’s admissions committees and at the university have expressed surprise at the college administration’s choice. The college’s decrepit, five-decade-old building needed urgent renovation or construction work, according to a notice from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), which is run by the CU Ronak Foundation. For the academic year beginning in 2023, the college administration has requested in writing to GU that they not admit students to the aforementioned courses.
An official from the GU admission committee, which received the letter on Tuesday evening, expressed surprise at the move stating that reducing the number of students for even one year could have an adverse impact on grant-in-aid colleges.
However, Janak Khandwala, managing trustee of CU Ronak Foundation, clarified that they have no intention of closing down the college in the near future. He further explained that parts of the building’s ceiling have fallen down, metal rods are visible from the roof, and some areas of the building are in such a dilapidated state that it puts students’ lives at risk.
He emphasized that the one-year gap in academic admission and having fewer students on campus during 2023-24 would allow them to repair the dilapidated building for the benefit of the students and other stakeholders. Furthermore, he stated that there are very few staff members in the grant-in-aid college on campus, and so there is no question of the decision adversely affecting them or the teachers being transferred due to fewer students in various courses.