Muhammed Committee puts Govt/Mgmts in a fix ?

The observation or directive of the Muhammed Committee that the admissions to the lapsed Government quota seats in Private Self financing Engineering Colleges in Kerala after the second round of allotment by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, should be made form those included in the Rank List published by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) and that only in the absence of such candidates can the Managements can fill these seats by other methods, has put the Government and the Managements in a difficult situation.

The Association of Self financing Engineering Colleges the other day had announced their intention to admit students to over 1000 seats said to have been coming under the lapsed category, from candidates who have not qualified in the Entrance Examinations conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations.

The office of the Minister for Education in a press release subsequently had clarified that the managements were entitled to fill these seats as per the provisions of the agreement reached between them and the Government and that the clarification is issued in the light of reports appearing in press contrary to this.

The committee in its letter to the association says that the seats under consideration had fallen vacant in view of the provisions contained in clause 3 of the agreement between the state government and the management association. The committee pointed out that the procedure for admission in respect of such vacancies is not specifically stated in the consensual agreement.

As per Clause 3 of the agreement, “if any student is not admitted by the educational agency for specified defects or for reasons to be recorded in writing, it shall intimate the Commissioner for Entrance Examination the defects or reasons as the case may be and the Commissioner for Entrance Examination shall rectify the defects or state the reasons for accepting the list or furnish a revised list which the educational agency shall accept and admit the students accordingly following the above procedures but in any case not later than 5 pm on 14th August 2009. The educational agency shall be entitled to fill those seats still remaining unfilled after 5 pm on 14th August 2009.”

Thus the agreement gives the Managements, the freedom to fill the Government seats that have fallen vacant after 5 pm on 14th August 2009. The stand now taken by the Muhammed Committee is that the methods of filling up such seats have not been spelled out specifically in the agreement. The Managements on the other hand seems to have gone by provisions in clause 6 of the agreement.

As per Clause 6 of the agreement, “35% of the seats shall be filled up by the educational agency on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination and Common Entrance Examination from among the applications received by the educational agency or on the basis of qualifying marks of eligibility examination as fixed by the concerned Universities or from the rank list published by the Association after conducting an examination from among the applications received by the Association or from the rank list published by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations.”

The contention of the Managements seems to be that the lapsed seats are now Management seats and as such this clause can be evoked for admitting students against such seats. Commissioner for Entrance Examinations had made two rounds of allotments before the cut off date of 14th August 2009.

However, the students were asked to join the colleges only after the second round. In the first allotment, candidates allotted were asked to remit fee only. Many students who had received allotment in the first round had remitted fee to know their chances of further allotment. Many such candidates after knowing the result of the second round might have preferred to stay away from joining the Private Self financing College either due to the fear of not being able to move out the college subsequently without paying fee for 4 years, as per the conditions of the agreement, or on account of getting preferred seats in other colleges under Management quota or for other reasons.

Vacancies arising subsequently in Private Self financing Colleges have not been filled by the CEE as there is no provision for that in the agreement. Hence it is the candidates in the CEE Rank list whose chances have been affected by the conditions of the agreement. Students not joining, suffer no financial loss as the entire fees remitted by them are refunded after closing of admissions. The actual number of candidates who have not joined the Private Self financing Engineering colleges under Government quota has not been officially announced by the CEE.

The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations is all set to announce the third allotment by next week. With the Admission Supervisory Committee addressing the Managements on the admissions against the lapsed Government seats, the issue is likely to be live for some more time at least.