In admission season, private colleges all out to draw students

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 15

With admissions to various colleges and universities for the session 2019-20 underway, private educational institutions of the city are putting in all efforts to attract students. They have deployed their staff members at the main gate of Government Rajindra College to interact with students, visiting the college for counseling, to persuade them to join their institutions.

Colleges have hired daily-wage workers who can be seen distributing pamphlets, featuring tempting schemes, mainly focused on concessions for girls, SC/ST and specially-abled students.

During a random visit, a few faculty members of a college were seen interacting with students, attempting to promote their institution.

Private colleges focus on students’ interest, college infrastructure and facilities, alumni, and most important of all – concessions or scholarship schemes to attract students. They try to act as true advisors to students.

“Our college respects bright students. If you have scored above 80 per cent in Class XII, you will be provided several benefits at our college,” a woman was seen telling a girl student.

A yellow-colored bus of a private college was seen parked on the opposite side of the main gate of Government Rajindra College this afternoon. One could also see pamphlets scattered on ground near the gate.

A roadside vendor selling ‘chaat’, however, was not much benefitted from the crowd outside the college. Many students handed over the pamphlets received from private colleges to him and he used these to make paper cones for selling his product.

Raj Verma, a daily-wage worker from Abohar, said: “I distribute pamphlets from 11 am to 3 pm and I earn Rs500 for this. It’s a good deal. On an average, I earn Rs10,000 to Rs12,000 per month. But, more than half of this amount goes to rent and other expenses.”

Another daily-wage worker from Gidderbaha, Jaskir Singh (18), said, “I have been asked to distribute pamphlets for nearly about 5 hours. I start at 8 am in the morning. They have promised to pay me Rs 300 a day.”