With the admission seasons on, Pune is witnessing a huge rise in admission related scams and malpractices. While the city isn’t new to this, the recent fee hikes have compounded the financial burden for the parents and students alike.
A regular MBBS course at a private college spread could now entail payment of fees amounting to ten million rupees, rendering admissions next to impossible for a middle class student, say citizens.
Fees apart, scams involving agents promising admission are being unearthed almost every other day.
Pune365 spoke to informed citizens who voiced their concerns on this perennial issue of tainted admission procedures and escalating costs of education.
“It is unfortunate that students now have to resort to unfair means to get admission in colleges,” says a senior secondary teacher of a city based school.
Pressure from external authorities should not be tolerated, as this leads to discrimination among others.
“Also, schools have the right to decide for admissions based on merits and set criteria,” she adds.
It is not just the higher secondary school or college students who are facing problems during admissions. Pune witnessed agitations recently, with a section of post graduate medical aspirants complaining to the fee regulatory authority against the enormous amounts demanded by colleges for their admission.
Speaking on this, Ragini, a city based medical student said,” Some of the colleges were demanding a bank guarantee against the admission, failing which they threatened to cancel the admissions.
This is unfair as medical studies are already very expensive and demanding a bank guarantee is really making it tough. Apparently now, the authorities are examining this clause since it wasn’t part of the original fee guidelines.
“I think these things are happening in the case of schools as admissions are now done on a first come basis. People who fail to do so, use donations, fake caste certificates, political and other pressures and also thereat and other unfair means, to get their child admitted in schools.
“Finally, it is the middle class who have to deal with all this despite following norms, opines Minisha Kumar, an event manager and mother of two.
Also, every year these schools revise their fees saying its for development, computer and laboratory charges, projects etc. Something as basic as education is now getting costlier with every passing year,” Kumar points.
Satish Rawat, a MBA student opines that reservations are one big thing that lead to people using unfair practices for admissions.
People report to creating fake documents, bribing the authorities and depending upon agents, who assure them of getting their kid admitted in an institution and most often run away with their money.
“Also, it is not always the parents who are at fault, they go to every extent to get a seat at a good college to pave way for their children’s education. Reservations and different cut-off marks are doing more bad than good.
“Admissions should be on merit and not according to ones caste and religion,” quips Rawat.
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Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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