Erring degree colleges in AP to face probe

Visakhapatnam: Degree colleges in the state, which are functioning from rented buildings and not complying with the order of the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), will have to face an inquiry, headed by a retired judge.

In April this year, the APSCHE had issued showcause notices to the degree colleges, which are operating from rented or leased buildings and also had imposed restrictions on admissions for the 2017-18 academic year.  However, the Council withdrew the notice and allowed 195 colleges to go ahead with admissions after receiving explanation and the Extension of Approval (EoA) applications. Thus, these colleges were given one-year extension.

Demand for degree courses like BSc and BCom surged in the last two years with the waning of job prospects in the engineering sector. Students are finding it hard to get admission for these courses.

More than 50,000 students have opted for BSc and BCom courses in affiliated colleges of Andhra University (AU).

More than 1.5 lakh students are expected to join for BSc and BCom courses in AP this year, said a senior professor in Andhra University. This forced the state government to go soft on degree colleges despite their non-compliance.

On their part, certain degree colleges are not responding to the notification of the government and are also not submitting the (EoA) applications.

According to APSCHE secretary Prof S Varadarajan, the last date of submitting EoA was extended thrice and the Council received EoA applications from 192 colleges out of 462 colleges.

“The Council has decided to conduct an enquiry by a retired judge as part of initiating further action against the erring colleges,” noted a circular by the APSCHE.