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It will also have to pay them Rs 2,000 each towards costs of litigation they entered after getting MSc degrees instead of MS certificates

Rather than embark on a course to secure a much-vaunted MCA degree, 37 students had signed up for a two-year MS degree in Software Technology at St Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology (AIMIT) at St Aloysius College. Ten students completed the course, but instead of being handed MS degrees as promised, they were given ‘ordinary’ MSc degrees. The college is affiliated to Mangalore University, but the MS course had not been approved by the varsity.

Feeling cheated, the 10 students approached the Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Mangalore and on May 31 this year, the forum ordered St Aloysius College, represented by its principal and others, to pay Rs 2 lakh as damages to each of the complainants. Further, the college has been asked to pay Rs 2,000 each towards the cost of the litigation expenses. The forum ordered that the payment be made within 30 days from the date of the order failing which the institution would have to pay interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum.

The college’s official website and the prospectus had advertised the course as MS and the students had signed up at the start of the 2009-10 academic year as reported by Bangalore Mirror (Students sign up for MS, end up with MSc degree) on June 3, 2012. An MS degree follows a four-year bachelor’s degree course like BE and BTech, while an MSc follows the regular three-year BSc. Therefore, the MS degree is far more valued in the industry.
 
“This is a victory of truth,” said Praveen, one of the students who had approached the court. “We felt that the college made an assurance only to attract more students. We had tried several times to get clarity on the name of the course from the management. We were assured that we would receive the promised MS degree, for which the course fee is even higher than that of MCA.”

Nithin Acharya, who was placed through a campus interview, said, “It makes a difference. During campus placements, we were made to write the test only after MCA students had taken the test. Later, lecturers had to convince recruiters. At placements, companies preferred MCA over us. We became serious about the issue when we got to know that the college had applied to the University for MS degree in 2011.”

“We opted for this course rather than the well-accepted MCA as the management had assured us that it was an advanced course in IT,” another student said. “At job interviews, I was considered on par with BE’s and not postgraduates. For this course, there are more job opportunities in teaching rather than technical field.”

Reacting to the court verdict, Fr Denzil Lobo, SJ, vice-principal, St Aloysius College and director, AIMIT, said, “The problem arose because of the difference in the abbreviation. The final degree that the students have received is Master of Science in Software Technology. The UGC did not accept the abbreviation we had asked for. There has been a mistake on our part, but it was unintentional. Most of the students have been placed through the college itself. We have not charged a higher fee.”