Samatha Karnataka

Five colleges refund fees to SC/ST students

Sudipto Mondal

St. Aloysius claims to be a minority institution

Secretary seeks action taken report from PU board

MANGALORE: Two investigating agencies of the Government have come out with different reports on the violations of PU board norms alleged to have been committed by five colleges in the city.

The investigations were conducted simultaneously by the Department of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) and a 13-member committee, constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, following certain civil rights organisations raised allegations that five PU colleges in the city had violated norms.

The DCRE found that the five colleges were guilty of charging donation and collecting extra fees from students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The committee, however, found that only four colleges were guilty on this count.

St. Agnes College at Bendoor, Expert College on Kalakunj road, Sharada College and Canara College at Kodialbail and St. Aloysius college on Light House Hill Road were the ones found guilty by the DCRE. The 13-member committee, however, found that the Canara College had not collected extra fees from SC/ST students. It concurred with the DCRE’s findings about the rest.

The five colleges are reported to have confessed their guilt and refunded the fees collected from the SC/ST students.

The report of exonerating Canara College was filed by Mangalore tahsildar Raju Moghaveera, who was in the 13-member committee. Mr. Moghaveera has said: “I have submitted my report based on the documents and records made available to me by the college.” He did not comment on the possible foul play by Canara College.

Sameer Shukla, another member of the committee, has termed the St. Aloysius PU College as a minority institution. Mr. Shukla, also the assistant commissioner of the district, said: “I have made my conclusions based on the information furnished to me. But I cannot say that my findings are 100 per cent accurate.”

St. Aloysius College pleaded before the DCRE that it was a minority institution and therefore exempt from the rules that governed other private colleges.

Although the St. Aloysius college refused to refund the fees, initially, the DCRE pointed out that the minority status was only for the degree college and not the PU college, after which it refunded the fee, according to Superintendent of Police and in-charge of DCRE, Manjunath K. Annigeri.

Superintendent of Police, in-charge of the DCRE, Manjunath K. Annigeri, told The Hindu that the college had refunded Rs. 5.65 lakh to 80 SC/ST students. Principal of St. Aloysius PU College John D’Silva said that his institution had been unfairly pulled up. He said that institutions such as his should be exempt from the norms.

Taking cognisance of the malpractices, the Secretary to Government, Department of Primary and Secondary Education, has sought an explanation and a report on the action taken from the Commissioner of Department of PU Education in this regard.

ideapmise @ 21.11.2008 04:04 IST
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