6,000 ‘backdoor’ admissions in Punjab’s pvt polytechnics - Hindustan Times
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6,000 ‘backdoor’ admissions in Punjab’s pvt polytechnics

Hindustan Times | By, Chandigarh
Dec 13, 2016 12:23 PM IST

In what smacks of a case of backdoor admission of thousands of students in Punjab’s private polytechnics, the Punjab State Technical Education Board has in the past fortnight “updated” its students’ database, adding “missing entries” of nearly 6,000 students.

In what smacks of a case of backdoor admission of thousands of students in Punjab’s private polytechnics, the Punjab State Technical Education Board has in the past fortnight “updated” its students’ database, adding “missing entries” of nearly 6,000 students.

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The last date for admission to the polytechnic colleges was August 15.

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These students, according to the colleges, were admitted before the last date of admission but their names and details were not updated in the official database of these universities and the board, all these months.

In a written complaint to the Punjab chief minister regarding the board, it is alleged that these are cases of fresh admissions of students and the private colleges have in connivance with the board authorities found a way of filling their vacant seats by showing the students having been admitted before the last date for the admission had elapsed.

Interestingly, the board while allowing these entries has not even questioned the colleges why the data of such a large number of students was not sent to the board when the admissions were being carried out and what had led to a delay of three months in pointing out the missing entries. 

“Entry of a few students whose names might not be there in the database is understandable. But to have thousands of students being registered with the board three months after the last date is strange. If it has happened, we will surely look into it,” said Dharam Pal Gupta, secretary, technical education, Punjab.

The board officials, however, rubbished any possibility of these students being cases of fresh admissions. “We allowed this update of data because the Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU) have done the same ,” said Puneet Goel, director of the board.

Goel added that the decision had been cleared at the highest level by technical education minister Madan Mohan Mittal and the board had followed a precedent set by the two government universities — PTU and MRSPTU — and followed the necessary procedure to verify the fact that the students were actually admitted before August 15.

However, a similar process carried out by the PTU and MRSPTU — which cater to a larger number of institutions — had led to the update of not more than a 1,000 students. PTU vice-chancellor Rakesh Verma said data of only 450 students was updated, and officials at the MRSPTU said the data of less than a 100 students was updated by the university. 

Citing these precedents, the board issued a circular on November 11 to principals of the polytechnics to get their list of students updated. In three days alone — from November 18 to 20 — the board updated names of almost 6,000 students, with some colleges showing hundreds of fresh additions. 

Board officials said they followed a diligent verification process for updating the names of students. The principals of the colleges were made to submit an affidavit claiming that these admissions were done before the last date; the college submitted attendance records of the students since the last date of admission and the fee receipts of the students generated by the college concerned, they said.

The three documents, according to the complaint, however, can be easily generated by the college itself. The colleges — which have the facility — have not been asked for proof of biometric attendance of the students. Also, these colleges have not been asked for proof that these students deposited fee into the college bank accounts before the last date of admission.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Chitleen K Seth was part of Hindustan Times’ nationwide network of correspondents that brings news, analysis and information to its readers. She no longer works with the Hindustan Times.

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