Taking exception to the alleged violation in the admission of candidates to arts and science degree courses, the Association of University Teachers (AUT) has urged the state government to initiate action against the ‘unscrupulous' management of government aided and private colleges.
The association has also decided to organize demonstrations in Chennai, Vellore, Erode, Coimbatore, and Tiruchy in the last week of June, to highlight the issue.
N Shetty, AUT general secretary said the government guidelines are there only to be violated by unethical practices and pointed out that many colleges have arbitrarily fixed a fee for application forms over and above Rs 50 prescribed by the government.
"The admission procedure should necessarily commence only 10 days after the publication of results. But many colleges have completed the process much ahead of the schedule. Some are collecting fees on a promise that seats would be blocked for those who pay it in advance. They collect donation/capitation for premium courses,” he said.
Shettu further said the reservation roster has not been taken into consideration at all. “There is no admission committee in place. In case there is one, it is not properly constituted. There is no representation for SC/ST member in the panel,” the AUT general secretary claimed.
The teachers’ body has been demanding single window admission system for UG & PG courses in specified university areas and also fixation of uniform fee structure for self-financing colleges.
"No action has been taken to address these concerns. It is frustrating to see that money is the only criteria for admission. Neither academic performance nor social and economic backwardness is a deciding factor in the admission policy," Shettu lamented.
The AUT has demanded the formation of district-level monitoring committees to ensure transparency in admission and public audit in colleges.
Even as the Government of Tamil Nadu has enacted a legislation way back in 1993, prohibiting donation and capitation in 1993, Shettu said no errant college management has been brought to book so far under this Act and cautioned that if the government failed to interfere even at this stage, higher education would be strangled by vested interests.
