Colleges lament that students are unable to compete as the competitions are being held at far off places
Final competitions for Mumbai University's (MU) Youth Festival began on Monday, but the spirit of festivities is missing from campuses.
Mumbai University
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According to several college authorities in the city, students are unable to participate in the finals due to the new decentralised format, which requires them to travel to far off locations, such as Ratnagiri and Khed, instead of competing on Mumbai campuses.
According to varsity sources, the finals are usually held in the city. Festival co-coordinator from SIES College, Sion, Rekha Watve-Paradkar said, "One of our students won in the story-telling competition in the zonal level. We would have won the finals too, but it is being held at a college in Khed. Neither our college nor the student's parents are keen to send her to such a far off location for a competition."
Rekha added, "If all the finals were held on one campus, every college would have been able to delegate a teacher to accompany the participants to the events."
Echoing similar views, Shubhangi Patil from KJ Somaiya College, Ghatkopar, said, "We are planning to request MU authorities to revert to the original format of organising finals at a single Mumbai campus."
Dr Sunil Patil, festival organiser and the director of the department of students' development, said, "This is the 50th year of the festival. This is the first time that Mumbai students have been asked to travel to the districts for finals and most colleges have made adequate arrangements to help the participants. Dyandeep College in Khed has arranged for a vehicle at Khed railway station so the participants do not face difficulties. I don't see the problem here."
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