Amritsar/Ludhiana, December 18, 2021 (Yes Punjab News)
The Non-Government Aided Private Colleges’ Managements Federation, Punjab & Chandigarh today welcomed Punjab Government’s decision to withdraw orders relating to SC/ST examinations fee. The Federation had strongly taken up the matter with the department of higher education, objecting to the letter issued by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, asking the affiliated colleges of the University to deposit examination fees of the students belonging to the families of SC/Free Ship Card Holders.
The orders of the varsity followed the letter issued by DPI Colleges, Punjab regarding fees to be charged from the students. The guidelines were however contradictory to the directions of Government of India vide Para 8.2 of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC/Free Ship Card Holders for the period 2020-21 to 2025-26. The Centre government’s directives had clearly stated that no advance fees is to be charged from the students belonging to the families of SC/Free Ship Card Holders.
“We welcome the decision taken by the Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Punjab to withdraw the letter bearing Memo No. DPIHE-SCH10MISC/22/2021 Scholarship-1 DPI-Higher Education/259751/2021 dated 1.12.2021 issued to the VC’s of GNDU”, said Federation President Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina. He appealed to the state government to take decisions safeguarding the interests of the Colleges and provide an olive branch to the higher education sector, undergoing difficult times already.
The Federation Vice President Ramesh Kumar Kaura and General Secretary SM Sharma also hailed the government decision to withdraw the arbitrary decision. They said on the directions of the President a legal committee recently decided that the issue should be taken up with the higher authorities of the Education Department of the Government of Punjab to immediately withdraw this letter. “As such, a letter was sent to the Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Punjab on 13.12.2021 requesting him to withdraw this letter immediately since this anomalous direction has become a cause of concern for the Aided Colleges”, said they adding that they had to issue directions to Managing Committees of Aided Colleges to direct their Principals not to deposit any amount of Examination fees to the University till the issue is not satisfactory resolved.
“We are happy that the matter is resolved and hope that other issues confronting the DPI, Education department would also be amicably settled”:, the Federation office bearers hoped. Meanwhile, seeing the intensity of the situation the Federation had already filed a Civil Writ Petition in the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana in this regard, said Chhina earlier.
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