Bengaluru: Except for around 600, all students received internships by Wednesday evening, said Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU). The last date to apply for internships was Wednesday.As per the data from VTU, 81,000 students registered for the mandatory internship in the seventh semester. Students had to apply for internships through a common portal introduced by the university. According to VTU, 42,000 got free internships. Internships of 8,000 students who fetched the internships themselves (and not through the portal) were approved by the university. By Wednesday evening, around 500-600 students were yet to get their internships approved. Meanwhile, VTU said it will ask colleges to appoint lecturers/squads to monitor internships. “The lecturers will constantly watch students to ensure internships are completed in all seriousness,” said Vidyashankar S, vice-chancellor. “We found that many students are seeking online internships. They contacted companies and applied only if they could pursue it online. This clearly shows some of the students are not serious about it. We want the lecturers to check on them,” he said. VTU also held a workshop on internship implementation for coordinators in educational institutions at BMS College of Engineering. “We implemented this comprehensive internship portal to control the fake certificates that students used to submit earlier. We also received complaints that some companies, after claiming to provide free internships, demanded money from students. We will take disciplinary action against such companies. The inspection squads will visit all companies and check the infrastructure,” he added.VTU also mandated that students must record daily what they learned in a diary. This will put an end to malpractice by students, the university said. Former VTU executive committee member G Rakesh said: “Around 14,000 companies are offering internships through the portal. Students must compulsorily maintain a diary and write what they learned every day. At this time, there is a possibility that students may misuse artificial intelligence. Internship coordinators must be alert about this.” He also instructed the coordinators to attend to students. If they face any problems, coordinators must resolve them. BOX:With Wednesday announced as the last day to apply for the mandatory internship in VTU, it was a day of uncertainty for several students whose internships were not approved. A student said, “When the university asked us to apply through the portal, I tried applying, but they were all asking for money. So I decided to stick to the internship I fetched for myself via LinkedIn. I still did not get the approval. I am worried about what will happen about my internship.”
