Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

`EAMCET candidates' interests to be protected'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD March 23. The State will take steps to protect the interest of students in the context of the uncertain situation prevailing before the EAMCET, according to C. Subba Rao, chairman, AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE).

Inaugurating a convention on the "Supreme Court's verdict on minority educational institutions and its implications'' organised by the AP unit of the ABVP here on Sunday, he said the State had a definite role to play in taking care of the interests of both students and college managements.

Prof. Rao expressed distress that the judgment did not give the two important stakeholders--students and teachers— their due. He noted that without the stakeholders getting the central place the popularity of the institution will never increase.

In his keynote address, B. Apte, MP and BJP vice-president, said the State had a duty to place reasonable restrictions to regulate the running of minority institutions on a par with the non-minority institutions and check maladministration by the managements. Such restriction would protect the interest of students.

Prof. Apte, who is a former Additional Advocate-General of Maharashtra, noted that the SC judgment had left many things to be done by the State agencies. "There is no clarity among the managements of the institutions and the State governments over the judgment. While the managements are under the impression that they are totally free from government control, the State governments are trying to give a picture that they are helpless in controlling the maladministration by the minority institutions.''

However, he pointed out that the reality was totally different. The judgment had said the minority institutions could not be given extra privileges. The State governments could control the institutions by conducting a common entrace test, deciding the merit order, fixing the fee and also the procedure of appointment of the staff.

He said the minority institutions were free to fill 50 per cent of the seats available from their own community, while the remaining 50 per cent seats could be filled up according to the guidelines framed either by the Central regulatory agencies or by the respective State governments.

Prof. Apte stated that the Supreme Court while overruling its order in the Unnikrishnan case had neglected two major ground realities--the needs of students who could not afford the existing fee and the needs of the poor students with less merit and limited financial resources.

The court, he felt, also ignored the fact that minority institutions were fleecing students by collecting exorbitant fee, although spending one-fourth of the ideal amount on infrastructure.

Kailash Sharma, ABVP national president, chaired the inaugural session.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Single ticket system for MMTS mooted
• 25 lakhs for sheep vaccine
• Govt. studying Karnataka move
• Youth Employment Summit in Dec.
• Ex-MLAs seek pension hike
• `EAMCET candidates' interests to be protected'

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu