Hyderabad: Corporate junior colleges are running classes till 8 pm against the scheduled closure of 4.30 pm, according to a reply secured by an RTI activist from the Board of Intermediate Education. The activist, Mr Vijay Gopal, has sought legal action as per the norms of the TS Council for Higher Education against colleges extending their study hours.
Mr Gopal posted the RTI query seeking information regarding the timings, fees and other few related norms prescribed by TSBIE after student suicide cases. Other RTI replies related to fees stated that the junior colleges are only supposed to collect tuition fee and recognition fee only.
As per the rules of board, the colleges should not collect the donation, capitation fees apart from tuition fees. The management of the private college has to collect only tution fees and recognition fees. According to the RTI reply, TSBIE has not given any instructions to colleges for collecting fees for keeping bags of the college students of exam centres.
Mr Vijay Gopal, an RTI activist told the newspaper, “I will be taking legal action as per the norms of TS Council for Higher Education against the colleges for extending their hours beyond permissible duration in the name of special classes, extra classes etc. I have been seeing too many suicide cases lately and appalled at the inaction of the authorities against colleges and ignorance of the parents.’’
He added,“I heard these days parents have stopped talking to their kids if they fail which is leading to even more pressure on the kids leading to such extreme steps. Famous corporate junior colleges in the state are the ones that are highly violating the rights of these students including child rights.”
Mr P. Madhusudhan Reddy, convener, Inter Vidya, JAC said, “Hundred per cent of all corporate junior colleges are not following the timings mentioned in the academic calender prescribed by the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE). The junior colleges are also not following the academic calender, despite several suggestions by different associations after multiple student suicides incidents that they should not conduct classes and exams on holidays. They are still conducting the exams on holidays. The state should take strict action against these private colleges to stop violating the norms in the academic calender and for strict implementation of academic calender.’’
