Maharashtra government issues new guidelines for college admission

The state government has issued a revised set of rules related to fees and admissions at the education degree (BEd/MEd) colleges for 2012-13 . The new rules provide that the Shikshan Shulka Samiti (fee regulatory authority) will be the final authority for deciding the fees of unaided BEd/MEd colleges.

However, the fee panel authorities as well as the office-bearers of the Association of Managements of Unaided Teachers' Education Colleges in Maharashtra (AMUTECM) insist that the government resolution (GR) specifying the revised rules, is ambiguous, especially on matters relating to fixation of fees.

The matter assumes significance in the wake of the fee panel's move to 'hold back' 556 fee revision proposals submitted by BEd/MEd and physical education (BPEd/MPEd) colleges for year 2011-12 , following the National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) regulations notified in August 2010.

The regulations provide that the state government should set up a separate mechanism for fixation of fees of these colleges. Also, the fee revision proposals be forwarded to the competent authority established either by the state government, the central government or the UGC.

The fee panel had sought a clarification from the state government on who should fix the fees of education and physical education degree colleges. Of the 556 'held back' proposals, 402 proposals are from BEd colleges; 47 from BPEd; 12 from MPEd and 95 from MEd colleges.

Sadashiv Shivdas, joint secretary to department of higher and technical education (H&TE), issued a couple of GRs on March 15 specifying the rules for BEd and MEd colleges.

Both the GRs provide a detailed explanation on how to ascertain the eligibility of candidates for BEd/MEd courses; conduct of common entrance tests; preparation of merit list; distribution of seats; university-wise distribution of seats; management and minority quotas; fees and other charges. The GRs state that unaided colleges will have to charge fees as fixed by the panel. Director of higher education Prakash Gaikwad told TOI, "Our last GR on matters relating to the fees is fairly clear. We haven't deviated from this GR."

However, P E Gaikwad, office secretary of the fee fixation panel, said, "The revised rules are not binding on the fee panel. In fact, for us, the position remains unchanged and we are still not sure whether the fee panel can decide the fees of education/physical education colleges in the wake of the NCTE regulations."

Devendra Joshi, who heads the centralised admission process (CAP) of the AMUTECM, said, "The GR is totally ambiguous and we have decided to approach the fee fixation panel on April 18 through the admissions regulation committee, which has restrained the unaided education/physical education colleges from effecting fresh admissions unless their fees are approved."

The AMUTECM is the umbrella organisation for over 275 colleges. It conducts a parallel common entrance test, known as Asso-CET , and the Asso-CAP . "It's not just the fees, but the revised rules also put unreasonable conditions on unaided colleges regarding filling of the 20% management quota seats only with those students, who have cleared the government-conducted CET instead of the Asso-CET ," said Joshi. Higher education director Gaikwad has, however, justified the rule on the grounds that last year most of the unaided colleges had arbitrarily filled their management quota seats by admitting students from governmentconducted as well as the associationconducted CETs.

"This had compelled the admission regulation committee to not to approve such admissions," he said.