Get 5K for getting a Student enrolled, College Tells agents

COIMBATORE: A private group of educational institutions in Hosur has allegedly launched an advertisement campaign offering touts commission for bringing in new students.

This is a brazen attempt to spike the intake of students in its institutions.

The group that runs polytechnic, ITI and nursing colleges and a CBSE school recently released an advertisement calling for agents to get them students for a commission of `5,000 for each student admitted.

Though the advertisement does not mention the name of the institution, it says ‘Agents wanted for enrolling students to a college’. The advertisement was also found on social networking sites.

When Express contacted the mobile number provided, a woman representing the group said the advertisement was released by St Joseph’s Group of Institutions at Hosur, Krishnagiri district. The group runs a polytechnic and a nursing college, apart from managing an ITI. “We are looking for agents, who could get students for polytechnic, nursing, ITI and CBSE schools. While we have 60 seats for taking in polytechnic, nursing college and ITI, admissions to our CBSE school is open till Class VII,” the representative said.

Elaborating on the advertisement, the representative said the agent would get `5,000 commission per student enrolled in any of the group’s institutions. The commission would be credited to the account of the agent after the admission of the student, she added.

While V Kumaresan, principal of the college run by the group, confirmed the advertisement was released by the St Joseph’s Group of Institutions, he refused to comment on the commission.

Condemning the advertisement placed by the group, a cross-section of teachers  said that it was an unhealthy trend and would bring down the quality of higher education. Association of University Teachers vice president, C Pichandy, said, “Of late, advertisements asking students to contact agents even for doing PhD research in universities have started to appear. Agents can never bring quality students to institutions.”

“This had led to unrest in some institutions. Students who enter an institution through agents become agents themselves. Later, it results in clashes between rival groups,” he added.

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