COIMBATORE: Cracking the whip on private engineering colleges exploiting students by charging exorbitantly, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has fined around a dozen colleges in Tamil Nadu. The fine amount ranged up to Rs 2 crore.
The apex regulatory body has also warned private colleges of withdrawing the affiliation if they fail to pay the fine.
This is the first time that the AICTE is taking such stringent action against private engineering colleges for collecting exorbitant fee from students.
Sources in the AICTE have confirmed this and said the move followed complaints by students. The AICTE conducted a thorough enquiry by sending its team to verify the complaints and found that some colleges have collected exorbitant fees. Based on the enquiry findings, the AICTE has taken the decision, sources added.
The AICTE has also taken similar action against institutions in other parts of the country.
According to AICTE Approval Process Handbook 2016-17, no technical institution is entitled to receive from students any other fee, in whatever name or manner, in addition to the fee fixed by the State fee regulatory committee. If any institute violates this, they are liable for penalty of twice the total fees collected, reduction in student intake, no admission in one or more course for one academic year, and withdrawal of approval of one course, or of the institution.
A senior official in Anna University, who also confirmed the development said, “AICTE had fined around a dozen colleges.”
“The AICTE has given three months time for private engineering colleges to pay the fine amount, and warned that if they failed to pay the fine, their approval would be withdrawn. In some cases, the AICTE has issued warning to private colleges not to collect higher than the fee fixed by the State-level fee fixation committee,” the official added.
Sources also added that a few of these private colleges which were fined are planning to move the Court challenging the AICTE decision.