UPERA set to crack whip at colleges making a killing with diploma fees

PRAYAGRAJ The Uttar Pradesh Exam Regulatory Authority (UPERA) will soon crack the whip at state private colleges over-charging candidates on the approved fee for the popular Diploma in Elementary Education (DElEd) course, officials said.

The body has identified five such colleges including two in Ghazipur and one each in Kaushambi, Meerut and Deoria, which, according to reports reaching UPERA, are over-charging candidates on one pretext or another.

After receiving recommendations in this regard from respective districts, the exam authority has decided to write to the state government to withdraw its mandatory sanction to these institutions forcing them to shut shop, they add.

In UP, to run a college offering DElEd (formerly called BTC) course, one needs recognition from the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), New Delhi, but also affiliation permission from the state government. However, responsibility of issuing affiliation certificate as well as conducting exams is with the office of the UPERA. If, owing to any reason, the affiliation gets withdrawn by the state government, the college has no option but to stop functioning, officials said.

UPERA secretary Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi confirmed the development and said that recommendations against the five colleges had been received from the districts through the district magistrates and the principals of District Institute for Education and Training (DIETs) concerned. So, a proposal for the state government to withdraw its affiliation to these colleges was being sent to senior officials on a priority, he added.

Officials said that these colleges need to charge just Rs 42,000 annually for the two-year DElEd course. However, they often charge Rs 10,000-25,000 extra for marking regular attendance of the candidates even if they are not physically present during the year. They even charge Rs 15,000 to 30,000 as educational fee annually besides more money ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 25,000 under heads of practical, admit card, I-card and filling semester examination forms to even facilitating cheating in exams, officials said citing complaints received regarding such institutions.

Often these colleges force candidates/students to deposit their original certificates and documents as well to ensure their continued association during the course, contrary to the norms, and then demand money to return these very documents to them.

Officials concede that this illegal practice continues owing to a large number of candidates wishing to just enrol for the course and then bag a certificate to then land a job at a government school instead of learning and getting trained.