Hazare approaches SIC against institutes

[ganpat1956]

PUNE: Noted social crusader Anna Hazare on Wednesday said he will file an appeal against 44 Pune-based educational institutions with the state information commissioner for failing to give com-plete information on how they filled management quota seats.
Addressing a news conference here Hazare also threatened to start a state-wide agitation if the state government failed to bring transparency and clarity in the process to fill management quotas before the start of the fresh academic year.
He has also decided to file another application with district collectors to find out how much government land was given to private educational institutions in the state.
Hazare said that out of 50 educational institutions from whom the information was sought under the right to information (RTI) act 2005, only six (including three government run institutions) furnished the information. Eight claimed that they did not come under the purview of RTI, six did not give any information at all and the rest gave incomplete information. These included engineering, management, medical, architecture and other colleges.
When asked why he wanted to approach the state information commmissioner directly, Hazare said that he knew that the appel-late authorities at the respective institutions will not take the matter seriously.
Hazare said that he was forced to seek the information following numerous complaints from students about alleged irregularities while filling the management quota seats and demand for donations. All the institutions run professional courses.
He alleged that the managements of these institutions were under the impression that they can fill the 20 per cent seats in the management quota as per their whims and fancies with total disregard to merit.
"Though the state government/directorate of technical education have prescribed certain rules for filling the management quota, they have kept certain ambiguities enabling the institutions to do as they wish", he said.
He pointed out that although the union ministry of human resource development has clearly stated that all types of quotas were to be filled on the basis of performance in the common entrance tests, the state directorate of technical education has allowed institutions to flout the rule.
Hazare said that some institutions have been allowed to conduct their own entrance tests, thereby creating ample opportunities to manipulate the results. The government has not laid any rules about which category of students were to be admitted in unaided minority institutions or how they were to be selected for admission.
The government has kept mum on the fees to be charged at unaided private institutions for various student categories and quotas, Hazare said.
Hazare's suggestions:
* Rename management quota as 'higher fee quota'
* This quota be filled through common entrance test (CET) only
* Provide separate column in admission form for management quota
* Govt should approach court to cancel permission given to some institutions to conduct their own entrance tests
* Deemed universities be asked to give admission through CET
* Only one state level CET for various professional courses
* Income Tax department to keep watch on bank accounts of private institutions.

Hazare approaches SIC against institutes-Pune-Cities-NEWS-The Times of India

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