Private intermediate colleges file writ petition in AP High Court

 KURNOOL: Private intermediate colleges have approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court over certain guidelines stipulated by Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) on granting affiliations to private unaided junior colleges.

According to the new guidelines issued by secretary of the Intermedia Board last month, committees formed at the district-level will decide whether a private unaided junior college in that district could be granted affiliation.

District collector concerned will be chairman of the committee, superintendent vice chairman, regional inspector officer member convener and district fire officer, area municipal commissioner and district panchayat officer will be members.

Teams of these committees will inspect the premises of colleges and verify lease deeds, fire certificates, structural soundness, faculty details, sanitary certificates, playground details, previous affiliation details and so on.

These committees will present to the BIE the list of colleges which have complied with norms of the board, those which have not, colleges to which affiliation may be extended and details of cases where affiliation is proposed to be rejected; with contingency plans to shift students of such colleges to the nearest private / government junior colleges.

The committees shall have a monthly meeting at the district level and they are to dispose of applications for affiliations on merit.

AP Private Colleges Association chairman V.V. Prasad said: “We have filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the proposed visits of these teams. We want to know what the board has done after inspections from 2020–21 to 2022–23 and why it has failed to provide affiliations to 95 percent of private colleges spread across the state.”

Prasad wanted to know what action such committees have taken against private corporate colleges in the state, which have even started unauthorised sections. He felt involving local committees in functioning of colleges is not appropriate.

Parents Association of Andhra Pradesh president S. Narahari said they support the intermediate board to the extent of taking action against corporate educational institutes. He said priority should be given on regulation of fees, implementation of reservations and putting up various announcements on notice boards.