COIMBATORE: Physical education directors (PEDs) of private arts and science colleges have alleged that Bharathiar University refuses to release sports funds to colleges whose students have participated in university-level tournaments representing the university.
Some PEDs from private colleges sent a petition to the chief minister's cell, seeking intervention in the matter.
A PED from a college in Coimbatore, requesting anonymity, told TNIE that students pay Rs 100 as sports fee to the university when they join their first year, as per university norms, and the university receives around Rs 90 lakh per annum through this fee.
"However, officials from the university's physical education department do not provide allowances for travel, daily expenses, coaching camps, sports uniforms or accommodation for college students representing Bharathiar University in South Zone and national-level university tournaments. As a result, colleges are forced to spend their own money on students despite paying the sports fee to the university," he alleged.
"Some students had to purchase sports uniforms using their own pocket money. Although colleges submitted bills for sports-related expenses to the university, officials failed to reimburse them," he said.
He recalled that students selected for the national-level chess tournament held in Manipal during the previous academic year could not participate as the university had not released the required funds.
Another female PED said that when they recently met university officials, they learned that sports-related bills were not being properly maintained by the department. She urged the university to release sports funds to all affiliated colleges.
An official from the physical education department said they face difficulty in releasing funds to colleges on time as they have to wait for approvals from senior officials in Chennai.
Bharathiar University Registrar R Rajavel said they have been taking steps to resolve this issue.
"Sports fees were so far collected from colleges through general bank accounts. We planned to open separate accounts for sports so that funds could be distributed to colleges on time," he said.