Date:22/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/22/stories/2007062258680800.htm

Tamil Nadu

“Colleges cannot pull out of seat-sharing agreement”

Special Correspondent

Arrangement cannot be reviewed every year, State informs court

“Fairness adopted in the process of selection”
“Overwhelming response from students seeking admission to professional courses”

CHENNAI: Self-financing engineering colleges are “deemed” to have given their “tacit consent” to continue last year’s seat-sharing arrangement with the Government and cannot pull out of that agreement this year, the Government has informed the Madras High Court.

(Last year, the non-minority institutions surrendered 65 per cent of the total seats and minority institutions 50 per cent of their seats.)

In a counter-affidavit filed before Justice V. Dhanapalan, who is hearing a batch of writ petitions challenging certain provisions of the Tamil Nadu Admission in Professional Educational Institution Act and the consequent Government Order, the Higher Education Department Secretary said the agreement between the Government and the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional, Arts and Science Colleges “cannot be said to have lost its validity the following year, unless there is a material change which warrants notification of the terms of agreement. Seat-sharing between State and the managements cannot be reviewed every year, making the admission to professional courses uncertain in the minds of the students.”

Pointing out that the affidavits of the associations did not clarify as to what was the change in circumstances, the counter said there was no reason to go back on the agreement entered in 2006-07 except the abolition of the CET.

The counter further stated that due to simplification of the selection process for engineering admissions, besides the “fairness adopted in the process of selection,” there was an “overwhelming response from the student community seeking admission to professional courses.” As against 66,384 applications received in 2006-07, Anna University received 95,181 applications this year.

Contending that it would be improper for the self-financing colleges to stall the selection process midway, the counter said the Supreme Court order in the P.A. Inamdar case also emphasised the need to have a centralised counselling for the selection of candidates in unaided professional educational institutions.

Arguments in the matter will continue before the single judge on Friday.