Students at DS University demand name change for optometry course

A number of students have protested against the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University's renaming of the Bachelor of Optometry course as Bachelor of Science Optometry. Media reports state that on June 18, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., 67 second-semester and 60 fourth-semester students boycotted their tests.

According to the students, the decision was made abruptly and unilaterally, and the adjustments were implemented suddenly and without warning. Students are now calling for this unfair ruling to be overturned.

Several students claim that their IDs have been blocked in an attempt to quell their protest, and they were threatened with suspension for speaking out.

Vishesh Butola, a second-year DSEU student in his fourth semester, was one of the protesting students with whom India Today had the opportunity to speak.

He claims that a Bachelor of Science in Optometry is not recognized by any organization in India or around the world. It will therefore be useless after the students finish their course and get their degree.

The demonstration involves not just students but also a number of parents. When the students first demonstrated at the headquarters on June 18, the administration did not respond.

Still, the students persisted in their protests. Dr. Anil Tyagi, the president of the Delhi Optometric Association, participated in the demonstration on June 19, the second day. He is currently inside the office speaking with the DSEU Vice-Chancellor. There is hope among the students that the institution would change its mind.

The VC of DSEU reportedly stated that the modification was done as part of the DSEU's efforts to universalize a number of its bachelor's degree programs, according to a prominent media outlet. He went on to say that the degree's name is meaningless.