RTI Requests

Introduction:

 

The Private Self- Finance Arts and Science Colleges and Self Finance Courses in the Aided Private Colleges have come into existence in Tamilnadu since the early  1990’s consequent to the policy of the State Government to allow Private College Managements to start the Self Finance Colleges and Self Finance Courses. While the entry of Private College Managements has widened access to Higher Education, it has brought in its wake  the twin social evils of a) uncontrolled and rampant commercialization of higher education through unregulated and arbitrary collection of fees for the undergraduate and post graduate self finance courses and b)the merciless and unethical exploitation of the Teachers appointed by the College Managements in Self Finance colleges and courses because of the  absence of any codified service conditions on crucial matters like emoluments including increments, confirmation and security in service, leave entitlements and payment of terminal benefits  like the Provident fund and Gratuity. The phenomenal growth of Private higher education at the cost of state funded education in Tamilnadu is  starkly evident from the following figures taken from the policy note 2011-2012 of the Higher Education Department Government of Tamilnadu.

Out of a total of 549 Private Arts and Science Colleges in the State, there are only 133  Government Aided Private Colleges compared to 416 Private Self Finance Colleges. The number of students studying in aided colleges is 1.06 lakhs compared to 1.64 lakh students in the Self Finance Colleges.

The complete absence of any form of regulatory guidelines or supervision from the UGC, State Government and the Affiliating University  has emboldened the Private College Managements of Self Finance colleges to become a law unto themselves with deleterious consequences on the two major stakeholders of the higher education system – namely the students and the teachers who are trampled upon, exploited and denied their fundamental rights.  While the students have to meekly submit to arbitrarily fixed fees after liberally paying up “silent development fees”, the teachers who get appointed with abysmally low salaries have to contend with the “ hire and fire” mentality of the Private  College Managements.

Against the backdrop of this scenario, the following questions are raised under the RTI Act 2005 on grounds of public interest:

1) Whether the UGC/Higher Education Department/Affiliating University have framed any laws/statutes/regulations to regulate the Tution Fees charged by the Self Finance Colleges ?

If so furnish a copy of the same .

2) How does the UGC/Higher Education Department/Affiliating University supervise the functioning of the SF Colleges? Give details of the reports called for and scrutinized in this regard.

3) What is the mechanism presently available with the UGC/Higher Education Department/Affiliating University to prevent Private colleges from increasing the tuition fees arbitrarily whenever they choose to do so or for the courses which have a strong demand ?  Furnish details of the reports called for and scrutinized in this regard.

4) What are the regulations framed by the UGC/Higher Education Department/Affiliating University to ensure  that appointment of Teachers in self finance colleges is done purely on merit ?

Furnish a copy of the same.

5)What are the regulations/statutes framed by the UGC/Higher Education Department/Affiliating University laying down the service conditions for Teachers working in self finance colleges and courses which spell out the salary structure, increments,retirement benefits etc ?

Furnish a copy of the same.

5 a) If there are no regulations on the above mentioned important areas  why have all the regulatory authorities failed to prescribe the necessary regulations so far ?

6) In order to maintain transparency and prevent commercialization of self finance colleges, have the regulators thought of any regulation requiring the private self finance colleges to submit annual audited statements of their income and expenditure ? If there is no proposal why should not such a measure be contemplated in public interest ?

7) When the AICTE which is a statutory body like the UGC has mandated all the professional self finance colleges to pay the AICTE pay scales, why cannot the UGC/State government mandate all the self finance Arts colleges to pay the UGC determined pay scale for their Teachers ?

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Above mentioned RTI to be issued on

Deputy Secretary to the Government

Higher Education Department,

Secretariat, Chennai-600 009,

————————————————————-Public Information OfficerUniversity Grant Commission (U G C)
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi
Pin:110 002
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Public Information Officer

Bharathiar University.

Coimbatore – 641046.

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