VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that their previous employer has withheld their original certificates, former staff of a private engineering college in Krishna district have submitted a petition to the authorities through Spandana, the government’s grievance redressal programme, as the last resort.
This was not a one-off incident as numerous similar instances, a violation of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) rules, were reported in the past, said members of the All India Private Colleges Employees’ Union.
Syed Sadat Ali, a Vijayawada resident, has sought police help as the college where he was employed as its principal was yet to give him his original education qualification certificates and claimed that he got the relieving letter three months ago. Similarly, the institution allegedly withheld certificates of two other former employees, even after the AICTE instructed the management to issue the documents back.
Speaking to TNIE, Sadat Ali said: “I joined the institution in November 2017 as its principal and tendered my resignation in June 2019. During the joining, I did not sign any form of bond or contract with the management. The management accepted my resignation and issued me the relieving letter. However, they are not giving back my certificates despite writing to them several times. Even my salary of two months and pending arrears are yet to be submitted. We had earlier approached the Higher Education department and its minister, and AICTE. Finally, this week we submitted a Spandana petition with the police, who said they would forward the complaint to the Higher Education department. Without the certificates, our future looks bleak as we are unable to work.”
However, the officials of AP State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) are unaware of the issue and the allegations over the private colleges holding the certificates of the staff.K Hemachandra Reddy, APSCHE chairman, “It is illegal for the private colleges to withhold the certificates after they relieve an employee from their services. I am unaware of the incident in which some former employees of a college registered a complaint through Spandana. At the time of joining, the staff agree to terms set by the management, knowingly or unknowingly. I will pursue the issue.”
Meanwhile, the union members demanded action against the college for ‘ruining’ the former employees’ future. “There are many colleges that retain certificates of their staff even after they quit the job. The JNTU-K is yet to take up the matter. Anna University in Tamil Nadu was forced to act in a similar issue after one of its teaching fellows, T Vasanthavanan, committed suicide. The government should take severe action in this regard,” said K M Karthik, founder of the union.
AICTE circular
In a circular issued earlier this year, AICTE had asked the institutions not to retain original certificates of their former staffers. Any violation in this regard shall attract punitive action, including “withdrawal of approval”,it stated