Ensure merit-based admissions in professional colleges: Dr.JP

The Lok Satta Party today deplored the Andhra Pradesh Government’s failure to ensure fair, transparent and merit-based admissions to professional colleges under management quota.

In a media statement, Lok Satta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan accused the Government of allowing educational institutions to become illegitimate profit centers.

He demanded that all seats in under the management quota be filled on the basis of Eamcet ranks and the willingness of candidate to pay legitimate fee by cheque.

“It is true that professional colleges invest huge amounts in infrastructure and spend a lot on salaries and maintenance every year. The colleges will become unviable if they cannot recover costs. An honest and fair mechanism should enable colleges to collect a reasonable fee for all categories of students. The students can obtain bank loans and the Government may subsidize education of the needy and deserving.

“Instead, the Andhra Pradesh Government is artificially reducing fee for those who are admitted on the merit-based Eamcet rank and allowing managements to collect illegal capitation fee in cash and offer seats to highest bidders. Meritorious candidates are not able to get seats because of fierce competition and limited number of seats. There is total lack of transparency in admissions made under the 40 percent management quota.

“Year after year, courts issue directives to the Government and the Government in turn makes perfunctory noises.”

Dr. JP recalled that reputed institutions like Manipal University admit students based on their merit in a competitive examination and collect legitimate fee to cover their costs. At present, the fee for a medical seat in Manipal University is Rs.7 lakh a year.

The system obtaining in Andhra Pradesh undermines merit, fair competition and trust in educational institutions and makes professionals, cynical, self-serving and greedy.