HYDERABAD: They once ruled the roost and enjoyed a healthy relationship with the governments of the day. But those heydays for managements of engineering colleges ended in Telangana when the government cracked the whip against 174 errant colleges. Now, they are caught between the devil and the deep sea.
For the dejected managements who were contemplating closure owing to severe dip in the admissions this year, the ‘convoluted’ process of All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has only worsened their despair. Around 50 colleges are mulling the option of downing the shutters from the next academic year 2014-15. To shut down the colleges, the managements have to pay Rs 3 lakh towards processing fee to AICTE, procure a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the university concerned and the State government. Besides, a team of AICTE officials visits the respective colleges before granting the permission.
Having known this procedure for shutting down colleges, the perplexed managements are their wit’s end as they feel it’s as bad as launching a new college. “This is not going to end soon. Whether you set up a college or want to close it down, it involves too much procedures and processes,” rued an annoyed correspondent of a college, who is planning to apply for closure in January.
A requisition has been placed with AICTE officials to do away with the processing fee completely and visit of the team of officials. The response of AICTE executive council is still awaited.
“One can understand paying fee and complying with various norms to set up a college. But having such a round-about method would further exacerbate the woes of managements which have already gone bankrupt,” says Telangana Engineering and Professional Colleges Management Association chairman N Gowtham Rao.
Meanwhile, officials in the AICTE regional office said that a notification for applying for introducing new courses/colleges and shutting down colleges would be issued in the first week of January.