Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Government can act against colleges charging excess fees: Ponmudy

CHENNAI: The State government can take steps against self-financing engineering colleges who charge excess fees, according to Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy.

He was responding to queries about the lack of action against the 33 institutions the state government had referred to the All India Council for Technical Education on charges of demanding higher fees than the prescribed amount last year. Mr. Ponmudy said that after conducting investigations, the AICTE had issued “warnings” to the colleges concerned. However, he also pointed out that, thanks to an Act introduced last year, the State government itself can take action against erring institutions in future. He did not say what form of action would be taken.

The Minister said that a decision on hiking the prescribed fees, as demanded by self-financing colleges, would be taken within a week’s time, once the Balasubramaniam Committee submitted its recommendations to the State government.

Mr. Ponmudy also allayed the fears of teachers and students at the government colleges being converted into universities this year, promising that they would be eligible for the same benefits even after the change in status.

He was responding to the concerns expressed by teachers’ associations including the Joint Action Council, Association of University Teachers and the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers’ Association.

The Bill to convert the five government colleges — Presidency, Queen Mary’s and the Government Arts and Science colleges in Kumbakonam and Coimbatore — into unitary, public state universities is being prepared. The aided institutions — PSG and Thiagarajar — will be converted into private universities, including their arts and science, engineering and medical colleges.

Despite the conversion, not even one iota of the benefits will be refused for current teachers and students, promised the Minister. For the next ten to fifteen years, while the new private universities continue to experience the benefits of UGC and government funds, the State government will hold on to a 50 per cent quota of seats. After this period, they will become completely self-financing private universities, he said.

Higher Education Secretary K. Ganesan clarified that while the government will retain 50 per cent of seats in engineering courses, it would also retain control of 100 per cent of seats in arts and science courses. He also said the fees would continue to be set by the government during this period.

Mr. Ponmudy said that teachers at the government colleges will be given three options, similar to those offered to the faculty of Guindy Engineering College when it became a constituent of Anna University. They can accept the new university service conditions, stick to the original government college service conditions, or choose to transfer to a different government college. However, new recruits will all be hired under the new university service conditions.

Asked about the suggestion to confer unitary status on the four Anna Universities as well, the Minister said that it was being considered in a step by step process.

On the Anna University admission process, Mr. Ponmudy said that the May 26 deadline to submit applications would be extended for CBSE students if their results were declared late.

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