Self-financing colleges steeped in corruption, says Antony

Former chief minister A K Antony on Monday said aided and self-financing educational institutions in the state had become centres of corruption.

KOCHI: Former chief minister A K Antony on Monday said aided and self-financing educational institutions in the state had become centres of corruption.
He was delivering inaugural address at the AC Jose commemoration ceremony here, organised by the Ernakulam District Congress Committee.


The Congress Working Committee member also urged the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau (VACB) to start its anti-corruption campaign from campuses.


Incidentally, self-financing professional colleges were opened in the state during the tenure of Antony as the chief minister. Then, Antony had said that two self-financing colleges were equivalent to one government college, and justified it by highlighting the 50:50 admission formula, for merit and management seats.


Antony’s statement comes in the wake of the protests triggered by the death of Jishnu Pranoy, student of a self-financing college. Interestingly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently accused Christian organisations of ‘being part of the education business lobby in the state’.


“Educational institutions have become the centre of business activities. Some of the managements are swindling money from students,” he alleged.
The former Defence Minister who began his political career on the campus said lack of student politics was one of the major reasons behind corruption in educational institutions. He also urged activists of the KSU and Youth Congress to launch protests against the corrupt practices of self-financing college managements.

‘Chair burning at Maharaja’s  a barbaric act’
 On the recent incident in which a group of students burnt the chair of Maharaja’s College principal, Antony said it was a barbaric and shocking act.

 “The college used to be a model for teacher-student relationship. Agitations intended to ridicule teachers cannot be tolerated. Those involved in the incident should be dismissed, and teachers, students and the authorities concerned should take a unanimous stance against them,” he added.

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