Tech education department orders colleges to submit report on refundable amount

The Pune division of state technical education has ordered all the technical education colleges and institutes to submit a report on the refundable amount taken by students from the year 2010 to 2020

The Pune division of state technical education has ordered all the technical education colleges and institutes to submit a report on the refundable amount taken by students from the year 2010 to 2020.

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Student groups have alleged that thousands of students have not received their refundable amount worth crores.

The student groups believe, every college collects this amount, but after completion of the course, it is not returned back.

After an official complaint was lodged by the student association, the Pune division of state technical education has ordered all the technical education colleges and institutes to submit their report on ‘refundable amount’ taken and given back to students from the year 2010 to 2020. Student groups have alleged that thousands of students have not received their refundable amount back and it should be returned back immediately.

“For diploma, graduate and postgraduate courses under technical education while taking admission in the first year, the college administration takes this refundable amount under caution money, library fees and laboratory fees. After completing the course, students are supposed to take back this amount, but in most colleges, students do not take it or forget the amount. In some of the cases even colleges avoid giving it back citing various reasons, we got several complaints about the same from students,” said Amar Ekad, president of the association.

“So we decided to take an overall data of this refundable amount pending with the technical education colleges and institutes in the Pune division and gave an application for the same. Taking cognizance of our application letter, state technical education joint director Pramod Naik has given orders to all the divisions to submit a report of the refundable amount of all colleges from the year 2010 to 2020,” he added.

The circular issued by Dattatray Jadhav on March 19, 2021 states, “All the technical education institutes in Pune division are instructed to submit a report of the refundable amount pending with them from the year 2010 to 2020. Under this total amount collected for library and laboratory, amount refunded to students, total pending refundable amount with the college, expenses done by the college from this refundable amount and whether permission was taken from the higher office about spending the amount,”

According to the state government rule, the remaining amount needs to be spent on the Economically Backward Class (EBC) students. Under which their hostel and mess fees, educational material, medical services, earn and learn the scheme and various other expenses need to be done.

Shantanu Hisabe, a student who completed his diploma in technical education two years ago said, “After I completed my course, I demanded my refundable amount from college, but the office clerk gave some reasons and avoided paying it back. This is not right,and our refundable amount should be given back in time.”