After former school education minister Vinod Tawde, it is now, current higher education minister Uday Samant’s turn to be in a spot of bother, as his education degrees from an “unrecognised institute”, are being called into question.
Samant, a minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, disclosed in his election affidavit his qualifications – a diploma in automobile engineering from the Pune-based Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth, whose vice-chancellor was former Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi.
Started in 1980 by the late Dr Manohar Apte, the Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth campus is an apartment in Pune’s Navi peth. The institute ceased to offer any courses since 2010.
Samant, according to his affidavit, completed his diploma course from Dnyanweshwar Vidyapeeth in 1995 after completing his higher secondary education in 1991.
Speaking to a Marathi television channel, Samant said he has no qualms in admitting that he did a diploma from the Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth.
“I went to Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth as it offered practical knowledge. My plan was also to get diploma certificate and start a business,” said Samant.
Earlier in 2015, Tawade came under attack from the then opposition parties Congress and NCP, for holding a degree issued by an institute which was ‘not recognised’.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in 2015, Tawade came under attack from the then opposition parties Congress and NCP, for holding a degree issued by an institute which was ‘not recognised’.
{{/usCountry}}Tawde, minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government, had disclosed in his election affidavit while contesting the Assembly elections from Borivali, Mumbai, in 2014, that he holds an Engineering degree in Electronics.
In the case of Samant, an RTI activist from Pune, Abhishek Hardas, has raised questions, saying: “How can an education minister remain in his position after he procured a diploma certificate from an institute which was not recognised”.
Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth was famous for offering flexibility in classes and its cut- offs for admission, along with the fees, were lower compared to other private institutions.
The Vidyapeeth, according to one of its alumni who requested not to be named, used to offer admission to Engineering to students who even scored 35 per cent in the HSC board exam.
“Such was the flexibility offered by the institute which focused more on the practical aspect of leaning rather than theory,” said the alumni.
Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth, with its 33 franchises, offered various degrees and diploma courses before it ceased operations after a High Court order following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Dombivali-based activist Dinesh Kamat.