The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Varsities mute spectators to commercialisation: AUT

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Varsities mute spectators to commercialisation: AUT

By Our Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE, JUNE 8. The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has voiced concern over "violation of admission norms by managements of private arts and science colleges."

In a statement here, N. Senthamarai, president, said government orders and instructions to regulate admissions, including the Tamil Nadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of collection of capitation fee) Act, 1992, remained only on paper.

Prof. Senthamarai said the government had not only provided an application format but also stipulated that the form be not priced at more than Rs. 25.But it was sold at Rs. 50-Rs 300. Filled-in applications were not registered and classified according to reservation rules, nor were they displayed on the noticeboard. In many colleges, an admission committee had not been constituted and even if it was formed, it existed only on paper. Selection lists were not displayed. The roster for allocation of seats under reservation was neither maintained nor implemented. Some colleges had completed admissions even before the deadline for submission of applications expired.

These "wilful violations" affected many poor students, he said. Commercialisation of education was not confined to self-financing colleges and ailed aided colleges too.

Many colleges collected more than the prescribed fee. "The prescribed fee itself is high and other collections are made under different heads". The AUT chief lamented that universities "remained silent spectators to capitation fee collection and commercialisation of education. Their stand that they have no power to take action against erring colleges is not acceptable". He pleaded that the universities assert themselves and constitute an admission monitoring committee.

Prof. Senthamarai appealed to the State government to strictly enforce admission guidelines and monitor compliance by all colleges, enforce the Act on prevention of capitation fee collection and bring to book the offenders and to form district-level councils to streamline the admission procedure.

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