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Professional courses tussle touches new high

Who's afraid of taking action?

V GANGADHARAN

Chennai, July 3:

        The stance of Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi that action will be taken against self-financing colleges which collect exorbitant fee based on specific complaints from parents is not going to do any good to the government, the DMK or the people.
K Ponmudi
      The high decibel campaign by the PMK and the war of words between its founder leader Dr S Ramadoss and Minister Ponmudi boils down to just one issue. The Minister wants specific complaints and also says that only the Central government, its agencies and statutory bodies created by an act of Parliament are vested with powers to censure and punish the erring colleges. Meanwhile, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in a statement today has made similar observations and supported the stance of his cabinet colleague.

        As for the issue of specific complaint, no parent would like to put the future of his child into peril by giving an open complaint against the mighty owners of these colleges.
Dr S Ramadoss
        What is more, the issue is very much in the public domain and instances of pillaging by such colleges abound. Especially, in view of ever increasing demand for engineering seats and in the absence of entrance test from this academic year, many colleges were tempted to demand more than what was fixed. Interestingly, the Minister had himself admitted that he received news of collection of exorbitant fees by some colleges around Chennai.

        COMMENT        
        Ironically, after admitting this, in the same breath Ponmudi had also wondered how action could be initiated in the absence of 'evidences, witnesses and specific complaints from affected parents.' Now the moot question is, why the government cannot collect evidences and proceed on its own on the basis of popular outcry against collection of capitation fee? What prevents the government from doing this? Could not the government spare its intelligence sleuths to work on the issue and piece together the received inputs and go ahead ? Is it not possible ? Next comes the question of powers of the State government in punishing erring colleges. It is true that powers to regulate, supervise and exercise control over colleges offering professional courses flow from specific statutes made by Parliament and it is vested with statutory bodies like the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

        But nothing prevents the government from taking action under various other laws like the Tamilnadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of collection of Capitation Fee) Act, 1992.

        The State government could also make a list of erring institutions and forward the list to the agencies concerned for appropriate action. Only this can assuage the annoyed and hurt parents.

        If the Minister continued with his stance of 'action on complaint' it will only work against the interests of his party and bring disrepute to the government.

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