Forced out over late college fee

Third year computer engineering student expelled from a city college as she paid her fees late; college says they sent her enough reminders and termination is as per rules

Forced out over late college fee

Third year computer engineering student expelled from a city college as she paid her fees late; college says they sent her enough reminders and termination is as per rules

Although the UGC guidelines lay down that its institutions will stave off commercialisation and ensure access to education for all deserving students who cannot afford it, an episode in a college affiliated to a popular deemed university in the city seems to go against the guiding principle. Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering (MPSTME) at Vile Parle, affiliated to Narsee Monjee Institute of Manage-ment Studies, terminated a student's admission in January because she was late in paying her fees. And though the NMIMS emphasises on corporate social responsibility, even toward their students, they are unable to help Gauri Sawant, a Borivli resident, who is trying to reinstate her admission in the fourth year to her computer engineering degree course.

Not enough: Gauri Sawant outside her college at Vile Parle.
Pic/Rane Ashish

Sawant (21), a diploma holder in computer engineering, took admission in MPS in 2008-09 as a second year engineering studentu00a0-- since diploma students can directly enroll in the second year of an engineering courseu00a0-- after paying Rs 1.68 lakh as fees. She stood third that year and ascended to third year, after paying Rs 1 lakh of the Rs 1.97 lakh fee in October 2009. By the time she came to the fourth and final year, she had to pay Rs 1.97 lakh as course fee and her last year's arrears of Rs 97,000 to the college.

The college repeatedly informed her of her dues. So she took an extension on the fee deadline. She had to clear the dues by October 30, 2010. But the day arrived and passed, and Sawant couldn't get the money.
On January 27, 2011, she managed to collect enough to pay all her dues, but this time, the institute refused to accept the fee. She had been barred from attending classes in November 2010, and by then, she had missed two of her trimesters already.

Said Sawant, "I just need another chance. My friends and my faculty members have been very supportive. If the institute wishes, it can still reinstate me." Her classmates even started a signature campaign to request the management to enroll her back, but it didn't work. Gauri is a bright student and has many laurels to show her achievement (see box) and though UGC makes provisions for deserving but financially disadvantaged students, Gauri still got the termination letter.

In November 2010, the institute wrote to her to say that she may not appear for her trimester exams, as her studentship was being terminated due to non-payment of fees. Sawant said, "I am still studying, hoping that their heart will melt and they will reinstate me. My father, an electrical engineer, and I accepted our mistake in delaying the fee payment.

But we were helpless without the money. We even requested the pro-vice chancellor, but nothing happened." She fights back tears. "I can work hard over the vacations and catch up with my studies and submit all my projects if given a chance." Her father, Sanjeev, wrote to the chief minister, the higher education minister Rakesh Tope, and to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the prime minister on April 11, 2011. He has his fingers crossed.

UGC rules
The guidelines say that, "every institution declared as a deemed to be university, public or private, shall ensure that there is no commercialisation of education. Further, every such institution shall provide for equity and access to all deserving students". But they go on to give deemed-to-be universities the power to set their own rules, including terminating a student's admission.u00a0

A UGC official, on condition of anonymity, said, "When the institute has been given a deemed status, they can make their own regulations. On this basis, it may terminate admissions. The UGC has no rule for deemed universities that says they cannot terminate a student under certain criteria."

Minister speaks
Rajesh Tope, minister for higher education, said, "The institute should have taken the girl back in college on humanitarian grounds even if she was late in paying the fees. I have never heard such a case where a student's admission is being terminated over fees. Nevertheless, since capitation fee has been banned in all the institutes, the college has to pay the professors' salaries. And that could be the reason they might have taken this decision."

Accolades
According to a recommendation made by the Yashpal committee formed in 2008 to review the functions of UGC and AICTE in the wake of changes in higher education in India, "the u00a0primary focus should be on making education u00a0affordable, either through scholarships or loans ufffdin accredited institutions...Once a student qualifies to enter an institution, she should not be deprived of education for u00a0want of money. It is the duty u00a0of the institution and the u00a0state to provide for her education through means as suggested."

In the light of the above recommendations, Gauri Sawant is an accomplished student. She was awarded scholarship at school level by the state. And she has many accolades to boast of during her college years. A chess gold medal, academic excellence, internationally certified for computer courses, and internationally appreciated for a research paper published in 'Springer' and 'International journal of computer applications', are among the laurels she holds.

The Other Side
Varsha Parab, Registrar-in-charge, MPSTME, said, "We kept updating the student about her fees. But she didn't respond to us, later we even sent her notices to pay the fee on time and also gave her extension. Still she couldn't manage to pay her fees. Now she has missed two trimesters and it will be impossible to reinstate her admission. If we have terminated her, it is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the college."