CHANDIGARH: Despite the AAP Government claiming that it will improve Punjab's education system as it did in Delhi, the government's decision to implement a centralized admission through a portal managed by a Mumbai-based private firm for the 142 Non-Government Aided Colleges in the state where lakhs of students are studying have left the authorities of these colleges claim that they were forced to adopt the path of agitations and protests as the state government is bent upon enforcing unilateral, arbitrary decisions without consulting them.
The Non-Govt Aided Colleges Management Federation today called for an all-out fight to protect the autonomy of the higher educational institutions in Punjab and Chandigarh. They condemned the tepid response of the Bhagwant Singh Mann government to the issues confronting the Colleges.
Federation President Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said that the latest directives from the education department to impose centralized admission portals through a private firm is illegal, full of flaws and being enforced with an 'ulterior motives.'
"We have shot off letters to CM Mann and Education Minister Meet Hayer but there is no response. Our appeals for discussions and listening to our grievances have also fallen on deaf ears”, said Chhina.
Chhina alleged that the top officials, hand in glove with private players, have imposed the draconian order of centralized admission by a portal developed by a Mumbai- based private IT company. The move is not practicable as it will lead to the harassment of the students and their parents, seeking admissions in the current academic session 2022-2023. The colleges already have their own online portals which cater to the needs of the admissions. The government’s decision is discriminatory as the private Universities had been kept out of the preview and they will be benefited with this scheme at the cost of the government-aided colleges, he said.
Chhina further noted that since there is no provision in the Grant in Aid Scheme that authorizes the taking over of the admission process of aided colleges in Punjab, rendering the decision illegal, null and void, ab initio. Further, there is a complete violation of principles of natural justice as no prior discussion regarding the Centralized Online Admission process has been held with the prime stakeholders, the aided colleges.
The private self-financed, unaided colleges are not covered by this directive and this move is only directed against the aided colleges in Punjab. These private unaided colleges are teaching inter alia the same courses as aided colleges; however, it is only the aided colleges, affiliated to three state Universities including Punjab University, Chandigarh, Punjabi University, Patiala
and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, which are being forced to take part in centralized online admission process.
Secretary of the federation Agnese Dhillon said that such systems already announced by the government for B.Ed and Law Colleges have failed miserably. Thus the decision must be taken back and the colleges be given more autonomy rather than imposing such arbitrary directives. Even the nitty-gritty of the administrative and financial challenges involved are not being looked into.
"The worst is that the fees received through this portal will be deposited in the Bank Accounts of the private firm and not in the bank accounts of the colleges. This is highly objectionable because there is no clear cut policy how the fees would be received back and in what stipulated time. The firm is a private entity and the move might lead to a number of legal implications impacting lakhs of students and their parents, seeking admission in institutions of higher learning,’’ she said.
Chhina said their delegation on Wednesday visited authorities of Higher Education and submitted a memorandum to them, citing their reservations and grievances.
"There are no reasons forthcoming for taking over the admission process of the three state-run universities in the State of Punjab and allowing a Mumbai-based firm to take control of the admission process”, he stated further adding that it is being made mandatory for the aided colleges to enter into an agreement with the firm to collect the fees from the students in their account and after deduction of their commission fee transfer the balance fees to the colleges.