No grant, private aided colleges threaten closure

Private aided colleges in Punjab may face closure soon if the state government does not release their long-pending grant-in-aid before August 1.

Private aided colleges in Punjab may face closure soon if the state government does not release their long-pending grant-in-aid before August 1.

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The Principals’ Association of Non-Government Affiliated Colleges claimed this while addressing a press conference in Jalandhar on Saturday. Members of the association alleged that the Punjab government had not released 95% of grant for 25 months.

The non-government affiliated colleges of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) have not received any grant for almost two years, thus making it difficult for their staff to manage without salaries.

The association members said even they had requested the state government several times in this regard in the past two years, but to no avail.

BB Sharma, president, Principals’ Association of Non-Government Affiliated Colleges, said they had also written a letter to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal a few weeks ago in this connection, but received no response.

She said the colleges were facing acute shortage of funds due to irregular payment of grantin-aid.

Non-government colleges in the district, numbering 58, are facing a severe financial crunch and majority of them are running on loans. The association members said if the government apathy continued, they would form a joint action committee of teaching and non-teaching staff.