Times of India: Nagpur: Sunday, June 04, 2017.
The Nagpur
University has frozen admissions in 122 colleges, but officials are reluctant
to reveal their names to the media or on the website. There is no way students
can find out whether a college is allowed to admit students or not.
A day after
TOI reported NU's move to stop admissions in these erring colleges, as they are
operating without teachers and infrastructure for years, NU officials are back
to protecting them. The university has refused to name these 122 colleges.
Another 74 colleges under NU scanner, for refusing visits of Local Enquiry
Committee (LEC) to inspect their premises and facilities, are also not being
named.
NU had
adopted the same stance last year in the case of 32 engineering colleges, where
first year admissions were banned due to lack of teachers and infrastructure.
For about five months NU didn't disclose their names. It was only after an RTI
application was filed by senior activist Abhay Kolarkar that NU was forced to
declare their names. However, by that time, the admission process was over and
NU authorities lifted the ban on the colleges in view of political pressure on
behalf of their managements, said NU officials. This issue was also raised by
TOI through a series of reports.
TOI's request
to hand over the list of banned colleges was flatly refused by deputy registrar
for college section Raman Madane. He clarified that NU would like to provide
the colleges more time, till beginning of new academic session from June 15, to
complete formalities. Ironically, NU had set deadline of May 15 for all these
colleges to respond. This was one of many such deadlines issued to them this
year, and only 20 responded to say they were closing operations.
"We want
to give them a chance till mid-June, as they can still get affiliation by paying
late fee. We're not supposed to divulge their names till that time. Eventually,
we would be uploading their list after academic session commences, and start
their disaffiliation process," Madane told TOI.
Madane had
also refused to disclose the names of 32 erring engineering colleges last year,
and tried to suppress the issue, with support from vice chancellor SP Kane.
This time,
however, the VC has promised to upload the names of colleges on the website.
"I will immediately direct them to upload the names on NU website. It
would help students seeking admissions in NU colleges," he told TOI.
NU's
reluctance to publish names of erring colleges hasn't gone down well with
academicians. They asked NU top brass to publish the names in the media and on
the website, so that students are aware before taking admission.
"It's
shocking, they should have done it by this time for the sake of students. Last
time, when issue of 256 banned colleges was raised, they had uploaded it on
website, which led to a big controversy. But that can't be the reason not to
publish it this time, as students would be at a loss if they take admission in
such colleges and later realize they made a wrong choice," former
chancellor's nominee on NU Management Council Sanjay Khadakkar said.
In December,
NU had cracked the whip against 71 colleges by disaffiliating them, with the
notification issued last week. The Academic Council had taken the decision on
June 21 last year, but it took nearly six months for NU administration to issue
the notification as per Section 91 of Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994.
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