Why no Std XI CAP for Ngp rural jr colleges: HC

Nagpur: Censuring Maharashtra government for discriminating between colleges in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday sternly asked it to explain why colleges in Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA) were not included in Centralized Admission Process (CAP) for Standard XI.
The bench’s oral poser came after government counsel argued that unlike Mumbai and Pune, colleges under NMRDA lack internet connectivity and other resources.
While adjourning hearing till August 6, a division bench comprising justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Kilor sternly reminded the government of its own tall claims of having net connectivity in entire state, including in remote areas of backward Gadchiroli district like Aheri, Alapalli and Bhamragarh towns.
Alleging rampant commercialization of Standard XII education due to nexus between junior colleges and coaching classes, about 30 junior colleges from the city led by New English High School Association filed a PIL contending that many no-grant institutions have mushroomed in NMRDA areas, outside Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits.
According to petitioners’ counsel Bhanudas Kulkarni, a majority of the colleges in NMRDA area have illegal tie-ups with private classes. Students and parents prefer them as they don’t have to regularly attend lectures. Even the biometric machines for students’ attendance are installed in coaching classes in the city, instead of college classrooms in rural areas.
The nexus runs so deep that admissions were made even before Standard X results are announced and students only need to join tuitions while their college admission is facilitated by class owners. Since all these colleges were not included in CAP, there’s no watch on their illegal activities, which results in genuine colleges in city suffering due to severe shortage of students.
The petitioners have demanded thorough inquiry into all 200 colleges under NMRDA and 500 under NMC jurisdiction, including checking biometric attendance, number of teachers present since last few years and infrastructure to handle student numbers.
JR COLLEGE INTAKE IN NMC & NMRDA
Faculty ------------Intake ----------------NMC --------------NMRDA
Science ----------- 32,170--------------- 21,600------------------ 10,570
Commerce ------- 19,280--------------- 13,840------------------ 5,440
Arts ---------------- 25,800--------------- 7,720------------------- 18,080
Composite -------- 5,960--------------- 3,520-------------------- 2,440
Total --------------- 83,120--------------- 46,680------------------ 36,530
Percentage -------- 100--------------- 56.10%------------------ 43.90%
HC notices to St Paul, Prerna, Taywade & Jakate colleges
After petitioners named four colleges having alleged illegal tie ups with various coaching institutions in their amended petition, the HC issued notices to them, asking them to file reply before next hearing. The colleges are St Paul College at Hudkeshwar, Prerna Convent’s branches at Reshimbagh and Vihirgaon, Taywade’s Arts Science and Commerce College at Koradi, and Hemant Jakate’s branches at Hudkeshwar Road and two other places. Their counsels sought time to file a reply. According to the petitioners, each of these colleges has over 1,000 to 1,500 students on rolls, but none of them have teachers to teach or infrastructure to accommodate so many students.