Andhra issues notices to 34 mgmt institutions

The Andhra Pradesh government has issued notices to 34 institutions offering management courses, including post-graduate diplomas, to furnish documentary evidence that they had permission to offer such courses.

They may have face punitive action or may even be closed down if they fail to produce these documents.

The Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education, the apex body for overseeing the higher education, has taken note of various advertisements and claims, including placements, by the institutions before sending the notices. Some of the institutions have responded to the notices.

“In a fortnight or so, the data gathered will be analysed and recommendations would be sent to the government for action,” said Council Secretary M D Christopher.

He said some institutes did not have the mandatory permission from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the apex body for technical education. Institutes offering these courses must also seek permission from the state government to operate in the state. Accordingly, institutes offering PG diploma have to take permission from AICTE for the course and intake. They also have to seek approval of the state government for this.

“The idea is to ensure that students are not affected by the unscrupulous operations of institutions,” the secretary said. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad Hyderabad Vice-President J Kalyan said the student body provided details of the institutes that were not abiding by the rules. Some of these were offering courses through foreign universities.

“In the present context, no institute can offer foreign education without the permission of AICTE,” Kalyan said, adding the colleges were charging Rs 3 lakh to 12 lakh for these courses.

Andhra Pradesh has over 894 colleges that offer a regular MBA course through a recognised state university. They have about 61,150 students enrolled.

Later, the state government will also bring these institutes under its scanner over their infrastructural deficiencies.

The council, in an unrelated development, is also culling out the list of institutes that have started off-campus centres, study centres and franchises in the name of distance education programmes beyond the territorial jurisdiction of respective states.

The University Grants Commission some had written to the state government three months ago, drawing its attention to the operations of state and private universities outside territorial jurisdiction, which was leading to an anomalous situation causing problems for students.