Aided colleges oppose govt's centralised admissions move

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Amritsar, June 10

Yet another decision of the government is set to trigger a major controversy in the state and Chandigarh as the Non-govt Aided Colleges Management Federation (NGAMF) is preparing to wage a war against the government over the issue of centralised admission in all colleges from the current academic session of 2022-23.

The decision, which the federation termed as arbitrary, unilateral, full of flaws and taken without consulting colleges, is being imposed with ‘ulterior motives’.

In a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Meet Hayer, federation president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina on Friday said despite a number of letters and requests, none of the officials of the Department of Higher Education or Director, Public Instructions (DPI), Government of Punjab, is ready to listen to the genuine concerns of the college managements, principals and teachers.

He was joined by senior vice-president Ramesh Kumar and General Secretary SM Sharma, to stress how top officials, who are hand in glove with private players, have imposed the draconian order of centralised admission by a portal developed by a Mumbai-based private IT company.

The move is not practicable as it will lead to harassment of the students and their parents, seeking admissions.

The colleges already have their own online portals which cater to the needs of admissions. “The government’s decision is discriminatory as private universities had been kept out of the preview and they will be benefited with this scheme at the cost of government-aided colleges,” said Chhina.

Even the nitty-gritty of the administrative and financial challenges involved is not being looked into. We will oppose the move and if the need be will go for indefinite strike and close all colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh, said the federation leaders, that represent 142 Punjab and Chandigarh colleges.

The worst is that the fee 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 complications impacting lakhs of students and their parents, seeking admission in institutions.

Federation leaders further said such systems already announced by the government for BEd and law colleges had failed miserably. Thus the decision must be taken back and colleges be given more autonomy rather than imposing such arbitrary decisions.