While Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has been pitching for improving the standards in engineering colleges, the department of higher education has allowed nearly 170 colleges, with below-par facilities and infrastructure, to be included in the on-going Eamcet counselling.
More importantly, the managements of these colleges have ensured that the officials did not disclose the names of their colleges fearing that students would not opt for the colleges during counselling.
The managements submitted a mere undertaking stating that they would rectify the deficiencies within three months, that was approved by the department.
Parents, meanwhile expressed their anguish at the “double standards” of the government stating that instead of revealing the names of “unfit colleges” and reducing their fees, the officials have been maintaining utmost secrecy and even hiked the fees from Rs 31,000 to Rs 35,000 giving undue benefit to those below par colleges.
They are now tensed about getting seats in these “unfit” colleges during counselling as they are totally clueless about these colleges with the officials maintaining secrecy about them.
The inspections carried out by JNTU teams located in Hyderabad, Anantapur and Kakinada revealed that 70 colleges under JNTU-Hyderabad, 60 colleges under JNTU-Kakinada and 40 colleges under JNTU-Anantapur failed to adhere to the norms of providing the required faculty and infrastructure. The universities withheld the renewal of affiliation to these colleges.
As per norms, colleges without university affiliation should not be included in the counselling. However, all these colleges got a bonanza from the government late on Thursday night as they were included in the last minute.