Namesake varsities exploiting pathetic education system
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: January 30, 2023 -

IN a joint press conference some 5-6 months back, All Manipur Students' Union and Karbi Students' Association, Assam had cautioned parents and students of Manipur to be extremely careful while seeking assistance of agents or representatives for admission in universities and colleges in other parts of the country on the ground that the parents could be duped of their hard-earned money and the careers of students ruined.

Since the last few years higher educational institutions based in mainland states have been holding programmes to aid in the admission process and drawing large number of eager parents and students either due to limited intake capacity in universities and colleges or the sub-par performance of such institutions in the state.

Though such events were of great help in ensuring placement of students in higher educational institutions of repute, there were also reports of agents and representatives who offered assistance in the admission turning out to be frauds and disappearing after collecting the money from a significant number of vulnerable parents.

Having lost their hard-earned money and their wards left to stare at an uncertain future, the frustrated parents had to approach students' organisations in the state to secure their wards' admission or for recovery of the amount robbed by agents of private universities who assured them of enrolment during the admission fairs held here in the state.

After such sordid incidents, many realised that some of the admission events actually facilitated the agents in commercialising the admission process and raking in hefty sum of money from parents whose prime focus was to ensure compatible education for their children.

While such events were exploited by the fraud agents who took the students of Manipur for a ride, it is equally perturbing that a handful of private universities established in the state with the consent of government of Manipur are good for nothing other than issuing certificates.

As reported in this daily on the basis of an RTI application filed to the University Grants Commission, some private universities established in the state with the passing of relevant Bills by the Manipur Legislative Assembly are operating only for profit.

Existence of these higher learning institutions underscore that the state's students remain susceptible to fall prey to deceitful elements.

It is indeed a cause for serious concern that some private universities established in the state are yet to furnish requisite information/documents to the UGC for inspection for enrolment in such institutions as they are certain to jeopardise the career of many students.

In its reply to the RTI application, UGC is learnt to have confirmed that private universities figured in commission's list are mandatory to submit requisite information completely for inspection in a printed format.

Though these private universities opened in Manipur are relatively unknown to the general population their very existence without complying with the UGC's basic guidelines testifies presence of elements consistently scheming to belittle the efforts of stakeholders concerned to promote quality education and enhance the state's profile in the education sector.

In view of Manipur University placed in an unenviable 178th position among the top 200 universities of the country as per the recently released report of National Institutional Ranking Framework and none of colleges able to make the cut among the top 200, it is advisable that the people do not let their guard down.