Govt ‘biased’ against private colleges

Kangra, May 10
The state has made tremendous progress in the field of education and private colleges have contributed a lot in achieving this status. The state government has been trying to make this hill state an educational hub in order to provide quality education to the youth who are banking on private colleges and universities.
Dr Pardeep Kumar, HoD, Economics Department, MCM DAV College, says on one hand, the government has been opening private universities in the state while on the other the already existing private colleges, which have contributed a lot in improving the standard of education, are suffering due to government apathy.
He says, “These colleges have in fact earned a name in imparting education to the younger generation, which is evident from the outstanding results year after year, but even then the state is apathetic towards them, which is evident from the fact that the teaching faculty of these colleges is yet to get new UGC pay scales despite its notification seven months ago”.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved teachers have alleged that the revised scales have already been given to the teachers of around 67 government colleges in the state. Teachers of five private colleges in the state have alleged that the quantum of grant-in-aid has been fixed from March 31, 2008, thus depriving them of increments and allowances after March 31, 2008. They allege that 95 per cent grant-in-aid to these colleges is irregular and their salaries are delayed by weeks. They further allege that on the retirement of a teacher, the post remains vacant as no grant-in-aid is being provided for the new appointee, leaving these colleges to sink inch by inch.
Dr Pardeep alleges that the government is encouraging private sector by opening universities, but at the same time it is suffocating the already existing private colleges by not releasing grant-in-aid regularly. He suggests that in the age of liberalization, the government should disburse regular 95 per cent grant-in-aid to these colleges and appointment under cover post in place of a retired person and also introduce new courses relating to arts, science, commerce and management, which would prove beneficial for these colleges in general and the students community in particular. This would help the government achieve the goal of making the state a quality education hub in the right perspective, he says