CHENNAI: Nearly 120 students of Annai College of Polytechnic, Kumbakonam, mostly from the Scheduled Caste, alleged they were denied semester hall tickets for protesting against their management for collecting tuition fees despite a Government order prohibiting it.
On Friday, 20 among them submitted their representation with the Directorate of Technical Education, Chennai requesting action against the college management.
According to the Government Order No. 92 passed by the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, all SC, ST students (whose parental or guardian’s annual income was less than `2.5 lakhs a year) were exempted from tuition fees and that the Government would reimburse this sum on behalf of the students to the institution in the beginning of the academic year.
Since there had been a delay in disbursal of these funds by the State, colleges began collecting fees from these students and assured that it will be returned once the Government funds reached them.
The SC/ST students from Annai College of Polytechnic alleged that a minimum of `30,000 was collected from them. Opposing this, these students staged a protest in the campus last August.
“The matter was subsequently taken to the Thanjavur District Collectorate, which upon a hearing had directed the management to issue a refund. However, the college has not fulfilled its commitment till now,” said J Prabhakaran, an alumnus of the college.
Things turned worse when hall tickets were allegedly denied to 120 students among them for their semester examinations. Taking their protest to Chennai, about 20 students sought a meeting with the Director of Technical Education, Rajendra Ratnoo who was unavailable on Friday. The students dispersed after assurance from other authorities.