The Hindu : Karnataka News : ABVP hits out at Centre for its U-turn on admission law

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 11, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

ABVP hits out at Centre for its U-turn on admission law

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI, FEB. 10. K.N. Raghunandan, national general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), has expressed surprise over what he considers as a volte-face on the part of the Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, on enacting a law on admissions to professional courses.

Mr. Raghunandan told The Hindu here on Thursday that Mr. Arjun Singh had assured the conference of State Education Ministers last month that a law would be enacted as demanded by several States, including Karnataka.

But on returning to Delhi, Mr. Arjun Singh appears to have changed his mind.

Affidavit

The Centre has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court in a case stating that there is no move to enact a law and that it would like to wait for the Supreme Court judgment.

"The immediate implication of this is that the confusion over the admissions to professional colleges will continue in the next academic year also," Mr. Raghunandan said.

He said he is at a loss to understand why the Government has gone back on a subject when everybody is waiting for a Central law. The ABVP, which has been holding a series of dialogues with the authorities concerned at the State level, will go ahead with its plan to stage a demonstration in front of Parliament House on February 22 to press for the early law.

Common test

Mr. Raghunandan said the ABVP had organised a national seminar in Bangalore on January 28 and 29 on the subject. Speakers at the seminar favoured a common entrance examination at the State level, differential system of fees depending on the socio-economic conditions of the students and differential fee structure for colleges. The fees should be decided on the basis of the recurring cost. There is a need to form an educational tribunal to look into the problem since it will not be possible for students to take up agitations on every issue that affects them.

Mr Raghunandan urged the Chief Ministers to bring pressure on the Centre to enact suitable legislation.

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