Pvt institutes prosper in the art of conning

Joining a coaching institute can get you an 'assured seat' in colleges, or so coaching institutes claim. And it is not just engineering or medical colleges these institutes are assuring you seats in. Even fields where inherent talent is the key are not spared. Rajat Arora reports.

Joining a coaching institute can get you an 'assured seat' in colleges, or so coaching institutes claim. And it is not just engineering or medical colleges these institutes are assuring you seats in. Even fields where inherent talent is the key are not spared.

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The walls of the College of Art, Tilak Marg, are plastered with posters that assure them admission in its Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). The college is the only one under the Delhi University that offers a degree in Fine Arts.

And many eager applicants have fallen for it and joined the institute in the hope of an 'assured seat'. "The institute is assuring me of a seat. I will certainly try," said Megha Katiyal, who was eagerly jotting down the number of the coaching institute. The institute could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Meanwhile, college authorities have asked the local police to stop coaching centres from sticking such posters on the college walls. "Defacing government property is an offence and these institutes are making the college walls ugly. I have lodged a complaint the police," said M Vijay Mohan, principal, Delhi College of Art.

Also assuring that admission to the courses in the college is very fair, he added, "These institutes can claim whatever they want to. It's their business. Our college has nothing to do with them. The admission procedure is fool-proof and transparent."

The Delhi Police has taken the matter seriously. "We have lodged a case of defacement of property against the coaching centres," said KC Dwivedi, ACP, New Delhi .

Many of these coaching institutes are not easy on the pocket, with their charges going up to Rs 10,000 for a month-long coaching session. "Despite taking coaching for three years in a row I have not been able to crack the entrance. These institutes offer nothing but fake promises," said a BFA aspirant on condition of anonymity.

Teachers also advise students to stay wary of such classes. "Fine arts are very different from engineering or any other profession. If you are not creative and talented enough, no coaching institute can help you. After one or two attempts, a student should understand that he/she is not fit for fine arts," said MG Kidwai, professor, faculty of fine arts, Jamia Millia Islamia.