Common admission portal a total failure: Aided colleges management federation

Tribune News Service

Neha Walia

Amritsar, May 3

A year on, non-government private colleges have once again declared the Central Admission Portal (CAP) a failed project. At a meeting of the executive committee of the Non-Govt Aided Colleges Management Federation (NGACMF) held here today, managements of colleges declared CAP, started by the Government of Punjab to regulate admissions in colleges of the state last year, a failed exercise.

GNDU launches helpline number

Dr Saroj Arora, Dean, College Development Council, has underlined the role portal plays to ensure fair and streamline admissions. He said dedicated support channels, including a helpline (telephone No. 1100), were in place to assist with any issues encountered during the online admission process.

The participants at the meeting, chaired by federation president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, were of the view that the portal led to a drastic fall in admissions in aided and self-financed colleges. Claiming that the admission through the portal led to harassment of colleges in particular and students in general, members of the federation said that private universities in the state had benefitted immensely as they were not brought under the CAP and were given autonomy to give admissions on their own.

“Our earlier stand that the portal is full of flaws has been vindicated as admissions in 142 aided colleges fell drastically last year, which hit institutions of higher learning financially and administratively,” said Chhina. Federation senior vice president Ramesh Kumar Kaura, former GNDU Vice Chancellor Dr SP Singh, who were present at the meeting, said government officials, especially Secretary, Higher Education, made various commitments during meetings while starting the portal, but failed to fulfil any promise.

The issue has turned into a matter of conflict between non-governments aided colleges and the state government as the former announced an agitation and boycott of the CAP.

Executive members said during earlier agitations of the federation, the government had assured them that their grievances regarding various issues confronting colleges would be addressed. However, the state government in an arbitrary manner started the said portal for colleges without going into its merits and consequences.

Dr SP Singh said the Centralised Admission Portal had proved detrimental to interests of colleges and served the interest of private universities in the state. He also said that officials had backtracked from their promises to resolve various grievances of the federation.

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