The Hindu : 'GO on admissions meddlesome'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

'GO on admissions meddlesome'

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI June 7. Self-financing arts and science colleges in the State have resented a recent Higher Education department order, revising the norms for filling up seats and setting out the admission procedure.

The order came at a time when most of the self-financing colleges, especially in urban areas, had finalised the admission lists, say the institutions. They see it as an `interference' in administration and violation of court orders in favour of the unaided colleges.

The colleges object to two aspects of the order: one that reservation norms would apply to 50 per cent of the seats and that the Regional Joint Director (RJD) of Collegiate Education would allocate students to unfilled seats under the reserved categories. The aspect pertains to formation of a selection committee to decide the admission list.

Admission can be made, based only on an application and not through allotment by an officer like the RJD, says a spokesman for the Association of Managements for Private Colleges. Many colleges or courses do not receive any application from certain categories of students. How can an RJD then allot a seat in such a course or college without a formal application, the spokesman argues.

The issue began with the Director of Collegiate Education sending a circular to all heads of government, aided and unaided arts and science colleges. It appended a GO, setting out a revised set of guidelines for admissions for 2003-04. In paragraph 7, it said a selection committee comprising the principal and two seniormost, selection-grade lecturers/readers should be formed. The seniormost SC/ST faculty, if available, should be coopted. In Para 9, an appendix to the GO said the rule of reservation would be 100 per cent for government colleges, 90 per cent for aided non-minority colleges and 50 per cent for aided minority and unaided self-financing colleges, as also in unaided courses in aided colleges.

In Para 29, it noted that the seats reserved for BC/MBC/ST and ST should be kept open till the first week after commencement of I year classes. The RJD would allocate SC/ST/BC/MBC/DNC students, not yet admitted to any college, to these vacant seats.

The managements' association spokesman said that twice in the mid-1990s, similar orders were issued and challenged by the colleges. The formation of a selection committee, they contended, reduced the primacy of the principal in matters of admissions. The court on both occasions held that there was not enough ground to show that the colleges had not followed the reservation policy and even otherwise, there were enough safeguards in the law. Such guidelines were not backed by the rules governing private colleges.

Also an 11-member Supreme Court Bench, in October 2002, held that maximum autonomy be given to non-professional colleges (in matters of appointment, admissions and fees to be charged), said the spokesman.

When the earlier orders issued by the Government were struck down and when the Supreme Court granted "maximum freedom' to the unaided colleges, the Government now came out with similar orders, he said and noted that the colleges were preparing to challenge the latest proceedings on an appropriate forum.

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