The Hindu : Engineering student left high and dry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Engineering student left high and dry

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD March 4. How fair and transparent are minority educational institutions? This can be best gauged from the story of Mohd. Hashim, a second year student of the Arkay College of Engineering and Technology, Bodhan.

This student, hailing from a poor family from the city, has been taken for a royal ride by the management and made to pay through the nose, literally. Hashim coughed up Rs. 45,000 towards fee for the first year and a like amount for the second year, only to learn that his admission was actually made under the `free seat category.'

But this is only for Government records. As far as the management and the student is concerned the seat is allotted under the payment category.

In a communication, V. Jayarami Reddy, secretary, A.P. State Council of Higher Education, informed Hashim on Monday that his name was shown by the management as Sr.No. 14 of the list of candidates admitted into first year B.Tech (CSE) course under 50 per cent management quota during 2001-02. "From the above it is construed that you were admitted under the free seat category,'' the secretary said.

This is no isolated incident. Scores of such cases are coming to light with students gathering courage to find out the truth. In the last one month, the State Council of Higher Education had issued a number of certificates showing admission of minority candidates in free seat category when the management had collected hefty amounts towards payment seats.

The case of Hashim is pathetic in that he was not allowed to appear for the first semester of the second year when he was short of Rs. 10,000 and couldn't pay the entire fee in one go. How Hashim raised the amount is a story in itself. He literally ran from pillar to post to collect the fee. He got Rs. 6,000 from Hyderabad Zakat and Charitable Trust, Rs. 4000 from Golconda Foundation, Rs. 10,000 from Baitul Madina Trust and Rs. 15,000 from two good samaritans. Still, he was short of Rs. 10,000 and this he made up by pawning the gold ornaments of his mother.

This explains why he made the payment through six separate cheques drawn on different banks.

As per the free seat category, which the Government records show he has been admitted under, Hashim ought to pay only Rs. 8,000 per annum.

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Engineering student left high and dry