M A I N   N E W S

A Tribune Investigation
Engg colleges opened sans facilities
From K.G. Dutt
Tribune News Service

KARNAL, Dec 15 — Lack of infrastructural facilities is the bane of majority of newly opened engineering colleges in Haryana. There are no proper and fully equipped libraries, laboratories and workshops in many of the colleges.

A survey undertaken by the reporter shows that the respective managements have not so far ensured proper hostels, play-fields and even classrooms in some of them. Some of the colleges are still running their classes in rented makeshift buildings. This has ultimately affected the academic atmosphere and the studies of the students. In fact, the story of stunted growth is the hallmark of most of these colleges.

In all, there are about 19 private engineering colleges functioning in the state. These were given licences during the regime of Mr Bansi Lal to start classes. Some of the colleges were given licences for rural/semi-urban areas but ultimately almost all of them managed to run classes from the cities. For instance, Shri Krishna Engineering College in Kurukshetra was given the licence in the initial stage to start functioning from Chorkarsa village (Karnal district), but the management never started classes there and ultimately succeeded in getting the licence renewed to run the college from Kurukshetra itself. How the authorities did not consider that Kurukshetra with a population of about 1 lakh already had a regional engineering college and there was little need to open a new college there was still a riddle?

Enquiries showed that many of the colleges were provided licences on some considerations. That was why these colleges started charging capitation fee between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per student.

It is an interesting fact that in Maharashtra engineering colleges owned by politicians mushroomed over the years, similarly, in Haryana licences to open these colleges were given to the rich class of traders. That was also the reason that the colleges did not act fast to spend on infrastructural facilities. Interestingly, almost all colleges earn between Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 2 crore per annum as per official sources of the All-India Council for Technical Education. Moreover, number of managements of these colleges also enjoyed loan facilities to open these institutions. Then how come that so far the colleges are not fully equipped in every respect?

It is less said than better about the appointment of staff in these colleges. For one, it is being admitted by the university that in some of these superannuated persons have been employed as principals. In a number of other colleges, less salaries are being given to the staff. It has been observed that in some cases, lecturers are being paid a salary ranging between Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 per month.

Some of the colleges have devised a unique method of hiring teachers to teach classes. It has been reported that some teachers from regional engineering colleges, go to these colleges to teach classes in their spare time. Similarly, colleges located in Faridabad, Gurgaon and on the periphery of Delhi have made such arrangements with teachers working in the engineering institutes in the capital. That saves the college management from the hassles of selecting teachers through properly constituted selection committees. Moreover, they are also spared of the burden of appointing teachers on regular basis and in prescribed grades.

How some of the institutions did not even care for the instructions issued by Kurukshetra University for ensuring academic standards and raising proper infrastructural facilities could be seen from the fact that Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor through a letter written on May 4 had stated that many of the colleges were not observing the “norms for the maintenance of the academic standards for the conduct of these prestigious professional courses”. Some of them had also not fulfilled the conditions laid down at the time of allowing affiliation for starting new courses. The letter had stated that the respective managements had not ensured proper infrastructural facilities in respect of laboratories, libraries, equipments, hostels, playfields, workshops and classrooms, etc. The letter had desired that steps should be taken to “fulfil the conditions and appoint qualified staff in regular grades through duly constituted selection committee within one-and-a-half month after the receipt of that letter”. The university had threatened that if the colleges did not fulfil these conditions, they would not be “allowed to make admissions for the session 2000-2001 and their students would not be allowed to sit in the university examination’.

The managements were also told that such institutions might even face disaffiliation. But interestingly after the change of guard at Kurukshetra University, all these colleges admitted students as per their choice and made little efforts to fulfil the norms and conditions. So much so that even some colleges were given permission to start Master of Computer Applications (MCA) classes. It was a sad commentary on the teaching affairs of these colleges that even in Kurukshetra University very few competent staff was available for MCA classes, then how the engineering colleges would be ensuring the MCA teaching standards?

Enquiries made by TNS from academic circles show that there is a dearth of trained MCAs in Haryana to teach the classes. From where these colleges have managed competent staff is also puzzling. Another aspect is that while the Kurukshetra University has not been able to start Information Technology Department, an under-graduate level college has been allowed to start information technology course.

Enquiries further show that playground facilities are almost non-existent in most of these colleges. Separate hostel for girls in the college campus is another difficulty. Some of the colleges are located in far-flung areas away from the cities and the students face difficulties of transport. Hardly some of the colleges have their own transport facilities like the one at Mulland, Seth Jai Parkash College at Radaur and Jind Institute of Engineering and Technology. While the management of the Jind, Institute of Technology maintained that it was providing best possible facilities to the students. A survey undertaken by TNS show that 50 per cent of the staff in the college was working on ad hoc basis.

There were no arrangement for residential facilities for the teaching staff in almost all colleges. Senior faculty in many of the colleges is missing. In Jind, the girls are living in a rented building converted into a hostel in Jind town. The college of course has taken steps to construct a new building and a hostel for the boys.

Similarly, efforts on war footing have been made at Jai Parkash College of Engineering and Technology and the engineering college at Mullana to construct buildings and create proper infrastructural facilities. But still a large number of colleges are sans basic facilities necessary for maintaining academic standards of an engineering college.