Advertisment

IT students' fate hangs in balance in MP

author-image
DQW Bureau
New Update

The fate of hundreds of students has come under a cloud with the decision of the Higher Education Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to cancel permission given to around 14 private institutions in the city to run MSc courses in Information Technology. Since these institutions were yet to get affiliation from Barkatullah University, students pursuing these courses in these institutions cannot claim to be bonafide students of the university.

Advertisment

Early last year, the State Universities Coordination Committee had decided that the MSc IT course would not be given to private institutions. Despite this, the Department of Higher Education gave an NOC to two such institutions--Rajiv Gandhi College and Bonnie Foi College--and the University even gave them affiliation. After this, other colleges also applied for the NOCs for conducting the course, and thus 14 such institutions had been granted an NOC till September 2000.

It is being alleged that due to this flip-flop policy resorted to by the Department of Higher Education, students are now staring at a mid-term crisis with examinations around the corner. The students are of the opinion that when the Government did not want to start the MSc IT course and when the Coordination Committee had clearly stated that the course should not be offered to private colleges, the Department of Higher Education was in the wrong in giving its clearance to the two aforementioned colleges. Students allege that while on one hand the Department of Higher Education grants clearance to a few colleges and then reverts its stand saying even the clearance given to the two colleges should be cancelled alongwith other colleges conducting the course.

It is true, however, that had proper guidelines been issued and a firm decision taken way back in July 2000, this crisis would not have happened. But these institutions did not get an affiliation from the University and their applications for getting the necessary affiliation were pending with the University at the time the Government nullified their NOCs.

Advertisment

The institutions, on the other hand, claim that since the Government had given them NoCs for running the course, and since their applications for affiliation were pending with the University (and since it's a lengthy process), the certificates were a sort of 'provisional affiliation', and on this premise they went ahead with new admissions to the MSc IT course. One such institute claims that after the NOCs were given, the Department of Higher Education also conducted inspections and there were no complaints. The institute says with some logic, that since students applying for these courses had to fill out forms at the University itself, they are bona fide students of the University, and that the University should take responsibility of these students.

However, the University authorities say that the NOCs given clearly state that it (the NoC) is subject to confirmation by the State Government, and in no way can it be considered as a 'provisional affiliation' to the University. The affiliation process is completely different and for which all the 14 colleges had applied for.

According to Mr Kamlar Singh, Registrar, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, the cancellation of the NOCs will mean that the private institutions cannot run any courses in MSc IT. The University has returned all the forms and fee amounts to these concerned institutions which the students had paid while applying for admission.

Advertisment

CS Chaddha, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, has been quoted as saying that when the NOCs to the private institutions had been given only by September 30, 2000, then on what basis did these institutions admit students in July itself? Also, mere granting of NOCs is no basis for granting admissions to students.

Whatever the outcome of this imbroglio, if there's anything that is clear it is that as of now, the lot of the students matters little to anyone embroiled in this affair, for some time to come.

(CNS)

Advertisment