33 engineering colleges face derecognition threat

Chennai, Aug 2 (UNI) As many as 33 self-financing Engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu are facing the threat of losing recognition as they had collected capitation fee and exorbitant tuition fees from students seeking admission, the government today said.

Talking to newspersons here, Higher Education Secretary K Ganesan said if the charges against the 33 colleges were proved, the government would write to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to cancel their recognition.

He said officials from the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), who conducted surprise checks in 159 self-financing colleges in the state, submitted reports to the government that 33 colleges were found to have collected capitation fees from the students to provide admissions.

Based on the report, the government would seek some clarification from the colleges, after which, if the colleges were found guilty, the government would recommend the AICTE to withdraw the recognition, Mr Ganesan said.

The government had recently launched a crack down following complaints from students and parents that self financing engineering colleges were fleecing the students, seeking admission.

Mr Ganesan said to prevent the self-financing colleges from collecting enhanced tuition fees from the students, the government, from next academic year onwards would collect the prescribed fees from the students at the time of counselling and handover the amount to the respective colleges.

He said through the ongoing single window counselling system, 14,000 students were so far admitted to engineering courses in various colleges in the state.

UNI