TN Govt, self-financing colleges on collision course

Chennai, June 8 (UNI) Admission to professional courses in self financing colleges in Tamil Nadu is unlikely to be a smooth affair this year, as the Consortium of Tamil Nadu Self-Financing Professional and Engineering Colleges has taken a tough stand on fee structure and parting seats to the Government.

A day after Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi claimed that the Government had made the private colleges agree to surrender 65 per cent of the seats to the Government quota this year also, Consortium Chairman Jeppiaar said they never agreed for the 65:35 quota system, setting the stage for a confrontaion.

Last year, the Consortium had agreed to part with 65 per cent of the seats to be filled through the single window system of Anna University, due to pendency of a case on the quota system.

This year, the Consortium was armed with a Supreme Court order, which had held that self financing colleges could fill up 100 per cent of seats on their own and need not set apart any seat for the Government quota.

''There is no question of self financing colleges setting apart 65 per cent of seats for the Government quota this year in view of the court order'', Mr Jeppiaar said.

The Consortium, comprising over 200 self financing colleges in the State, however, was willing to negotiate with the Government on this issue as ''we do not want to confront the Government'', he said.

Indicating that self financing colleges were willing to set apart a certain percentage of seats for the Government quota, he had sought a dialogue with the Government.

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