Aided-college managements say no to help in managing affairs

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 24

The office-bearers of the Non-Government Colleges Management Federation of Punjab and Chandigarh (GCMF) are at loggerheads with the state government’s higher education department and the DPI over the working of the aided colleges.

They decided in principle not to call the government nominees in the meeting of managing committees as proposed by the department. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held by management of aided colleges of Amritsar and Jalandhar.

“The new proposals are highly condemnable and the decisions are being announced by the DPI and the Education Department without any consultation with the stakeholders, which are the managements of these colleges,” said RMS Chhina, president, GCMF. The private aided colleges are acting as an extended arm of the state government imparting education to more than 80 per cent students of the state, he added.

Terming the decision as an unnecessary interference, he said in no case an appointee who is much junior in status would be tolerated with voting rights and veto powers. The members opined that already three government agencies audited the accounts of the colleges, besides their own internal as well as external audit by the qualified chartered accountants (CAs).

The GCMF stated that they did not want any confrontation with the authorities of higher education, but if need be they would not shy from taking extreme steps, including closure of the colleges and responsibility for the loss of education of the students would lie with the department of higher education.

The GCMF said if the Secretary, Higher Education, and the DPI Department are hell bent on changing the procedure of selection. It must issue the appointments and bear the burden of the salaries and the retrial benefits of the teachers of the colleges.

Demanding a timely release of pending grants by the DPI, they said the government was contributing only 95 per cent of the deficit of the salary grants and not total budgetary provisions of the colleges. They sought immediate release of the pending post matric scholarship amounts of the colleges for SC students in one instalment and restoration of 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme as at present the government was contributing only 75 per cent of the salary grants of aided posts.