Private engineering colleges fail to comply with UGC guidelines

Visakhapatnam: Private engineering colleges, Inter colleges are failing to comply to the guidelines issued by the State, Central education boards and High Court not to retain the original academic and personal certificates to recover fee from students who opt to leave the colleges or plan to apply for jobs.

Private institutes, be it Intermediate colleges or engineering or B.Ed colleges, are ignoring the guidelines and the warning from UGC, HRD, SBTET and AICTE. 

The institutes should physically verify the certificates in the presence of the students at the time of admission and return them immediately. Self-attested copies of the documents could be kept by the colleges. But the college managements are retaining the original documents with them.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued a notification in 2016 and again reminded them last month on remittance and refund of fees and other student-centric issues’ wherein Vice-Chancellors of all Universities were requested to issue necessary instructions to university departments and affiliated colleges that no Higher Educational Institution (HEI) shall insist upon a student to submit original academic and personal certificates and testimonials like mark-sheets, school leaving certificates and other such documents at the time of submitting admission form. 

This apart, following complaints by students and parents to the HRD Ministry, regarding colleges not returning certificates, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had directed engineering colleges countrywide to refund fees of students if they don’t join the course or leave midway and return their certificates. 

Andhra University Vice-Chancellor Professor G Nageswara Rao said when the University Grants Commission, HRD Ministry and the High Courts in various States have made it clear that original certificates of the students should not be retained, the colleges should not wait for the direction from the universities they are affiliated to.

Speaking on the issue to The Hans India, Higher Education Chairman Professor S Vijaya Raju said that any student can approach the board or university officials and they can register a complaint if the affiliated colleges indulge in such unlawful activity. “We can take stringent action only when students or parents approach us with a complaint.”  

Some of the students studying in various private colleges in Vizag expressed concern over the colleges insisting on fee payment to return the certificates. 

“Once we take admission into a college, we cannot opt for other good colleges if the intimation comes later. We are asked to clear the fees to get back our certificates. Besides, we are facing a lot of difficulties while applying for jobs,” said Avinash, a second year student of B Tech in Vizag.