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AICTE tells colleges not to insist on fees, fire faculty
Higher education sector regulator All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has told colleges under its purview not to pressure students into paying fees till the time the current lockdown continues.
Higher education sector regulator All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has told colleges under its purview not to pressure students into paying fees till the time the current lockdown continues.
In an order issued on Wednesday, AICTE Member Rajive Kumar said that it had come to the notice of the regulator that some institutions were insisting that students should pay the fees including admission fees.
“Institutions should not insist on payment of fees till the ongoing lockdown is lifted and normalcy is restored,” the AICTE directive said. It added that revised timelines will be issued by AICTE and communicated later.
The council also said that it had also received information that some institutions had terminated staff members or had not paid salary to their faculty.
“It is clarified that salary and other dues to the faculty/staff members will be released for the duration of lockdown and also terminations, if any, made during the lockdown will be withdrawn,” the AICTE communiqué said.
Significantly, the HRD ministry has received a series of requests and demands, including from student organizations like the AICTE and NSUI, from different quarters to address the issue of institutions demanding fees both in school and higher education sector.
“We had receives complaints, especially related to some institutions which offer Post Graduate Diploma in Management that they book seats in advance and pile pressure on candidates to submit fees. We have made it clear that no institution should pressure students at this key juncture,” AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabuddhe said.
The AICTE has also asked institutions to support work from home internships. Colleges have also been asked to support students in their vicinity who have difficulty in getting good quality internet.
UGC and AICTE are the two major regulators in the India education system. AICTE regulates over 10,000 colleges, most of them imparting technical education.
