Several pre-university colleges have found a way around the rule of the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) banning managements from running integrated coaching classes on their campuses. They have tied up with coaching classes.
Students will have to go to these centres for their entrance exam preparations after they finish regular classes in their college. For every student sent to a coaching class, college managements earn a commission. Details of the package are revealed to students and parents at the time of admission. Payments have to be made in two instalments: one to the college and the other to the coaching class.
The department has, in the past, taken a tough stand on integrated colleges that teach both the pre-university curriculum as well as hold coaching classes in the same campus. Many of these coaching centres help students prepare for competitive examinations such as Joint Entrance Examination, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and the Common Entrance Test.
While PU college fees are around ₹50,000 per annum, the cost of both coaching and PU classes is nearly thrice the amount.
A parent who enrolled his son in a private PU college said, “The college is extremely popular, but then I was told that I had to enrol him for coaching classes, and that it was mandatory. My son has taken science but he is preparing for the Common Law Admission Test and wants to get into a reputed law college. Despite this, he has to attend these classes,” he said.
A principal of PU college said that there is a need for the department to crack down on such colleges in the interest of students. “College managements are finding a new way to beat the rule. Students and parents are being fleeced,” he said.
Though the department has cracked down on several PU colleges offering coaching classes, the Karnataka PU Education (Academic, Administration) Rules, 2006, is silent on integrated colleges. Various stakeholders had pointed out that there is a need for wider deliberation and discussion on this matter.
