Higher education: A lucritive business

[sidmis]

Higher education: A lucritive business
as reported by Statesman News Service, The Statesman

SAMBALPUR, Oct. 2: With higher education being the top priority in the agenda of most households, it is often alleged that providing the same has become a lucrative business. While parents do not hesitate in spending their hard-earned money on higher education of their wards, the state of affairs in some of the so-called elite private colleges here are not above suspicion.

An information availed of under the Right to Information Act (RTI) speaks volumes about the other side of one such private college.

One such college of Sambalpur is still taking in students, despite having
permission to do till 10 September.

Mr Bhwani Shankar Pradhan a resident of Bargarh district has been informed under RTI by the deputy director of higher education of Sambalpur regional office, that a particular 'plus two' Science college at Ainthapali here doesn’t have an affiliation. It is further mentioned that the question of affiliation of the college doesn’t arise since it doesn’t fulfil the preliminary formalities.

“But practically, this private college run by a trust has now more than 100 students from Orissa and the neighbouring Chhatissgarh state who have paid Rs 46, 000 as admission and other fees for a year. If the college does not get an affiliation, the future of the students and the college in uncertain,” alleged Mr Pradhan.

The intellectuals here have expressed serious concern over such irregularity and commercialisation of education. Mr Srikant Panigrahi, Mr Debashis Purohit and Mr Deo Kiran Patnaik, among others, have appealed before the district collector for stringent action against the college authorities as per law.

The Statesman