Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Aug 18: The future of about 400 Engineering students from J&K undergoing training in different streams in Suresh Gyan University of Rajasthan under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) is at stake after the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) failed to release their scholarships till date.
According to the representatives of these students, they have taken admission under the PMSSS during the academic year 2014-15 and 2015-16 but till date their scholarship was not released due to which the University authorities have denied the hostel accommodation, food and other facilities to them. These students are on road seeking justice from the authorities but to no avail.
However, the Government as well as AICTE made it clear to these students that the institutions in which they were undergoing training didn’t fall under the University Grants Commission (UGC) admission norms for PMSSS.
These students, who approached the AICTE authorities as well as the State Government representatives, have been told categorically that their admission didn’t fall under the norms framed by UGC for PMSSS and they have sought admission through agents and NGOs.
However, it is unfortunate that despite the AICTE has taken up the issue of fraudulent admissions through agents with State Government and sought action against them till date no agent or NGO was taken to task for cheating the innocent students and their parents from the State, sources said.
When contacted Anil D Sahasrabudhey, Chairman AICTE told Excelsior that AICTE didn’t consider those students for scholarship whose institutes have not been recognized by UGC norms for such admissions. He said that these students have sought admission through agents and NGOs who cheated them and AICTE is not responsible for the same.
He said there are certain colleges all over the country which have been approved by UGC for PMSSS and the AICTE releases scholarships to the students who have been admitted in these institutions under the scheme.
He said the AICTE has written the State Government for probe as the agents have cheated these students. “When these students were asked by AICTE not to seek admissions through agents and approach us why they approached them”?, he asked.
He said “the colleges are allotted in counciling by AICTE through a proper system and when the colleges were allotted by us how can we withhold the scholarship. These students were befooled by the agents”, he added.
The representatives of these students, however, said that they are on streets as their scholarships were not released by the AICTE. They said after entering their third year now the University authorities have demanded payment of dues which they (students) are unable to pay as their scholarship has not been released by AICET till date. The University stopped hostel accommodation, serving of food and providing other facilities to the students and forced them to come to streets, they alleged.
The student representatives also said that they talked to AICTE authorities thrice on the issue who is responsible for the release of funds but they did not give any response to them. Accusing the AICTE authorities of taking refuge under tough rules and regulations they said by not releasing scholarships in their favour, the AICTE was playing with their future which is in total jeopardy. The student representatives further said that they are unable to understand how their scholarship was not released by the concerned authority when they have received the written letters of eligibility for PMSSS from AICTE during counciling at Jammu University way back in 2014.
The students said that in November last year they also called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and brought the matter in his notice who gave an assurance that the issue will be solved within two months but to no avail.
They said that the AICTE team also visited the University after the meeting of student representatives with Union Home Minister and revised the documents asking the students to continue the studies as the scholarships will be released after the Inter Ministry Committee (IMC) meeting but later nothing was done in this regard.
The students alleged that no one is taking their problem seriously and they once again made an appeal to the concerned authorities to provide justice to them.
Minister of State for Education and Culture Priya Sethi said that she had in-depth studied the problem and these students have sought admission through agents and NGOS before 2014. They (agents) misled the students giving them assurance that they have been selected under the PMSSS by AICTE which was not a fact. The institutes also don’t demand fee from them for first two years and later compelled them to deposit the dues in third year by pressurizing them, she added.
Priya said these students have fallen in the trap of agents as the colleges where they were studying didn’t fall in UGC norms for the admission under the PMSSS.
The Minister said that the inquiry has already been initiated against such agents by the Government and the culprits will be brought to book for cheating the students. The State Government is in constant touch with UGC Chairman in this regard, she added.
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