Punjabi University reduces student intake of affiliated colleges for malpractices

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 29

Punjabi University has started action against the affiliated institutions that were found running without proper faculty members and faking student count.

The Dean, College Development Council, Prof Gurpreet Singh Lehal, said the university had received multiple complaints against the colleges, after which it carried out surprise as well as periodic inspections to verify the facts. Importantly, the university had failed to carry out periodic inspections at its affiliated colleges on a regular basis for years together.

The university has now prohibited SS Girls College for Education, Bhikhi, from enrolling students in its entry-level classes. The college was found running without approved faculty members among other irregularities.

The university, during an inspection, found six BEd colleges — Asra College of Education, Bhawanigarh; Guru Nanak College of Education, Samaon Bhikhi; Swami Vivekanand College of Education, Moonak; Mata Gurdev Kaur Memorial Educational Institute, Bareta; Milkha Singh Educational Institute, Bareta; and Malwa College of Training and Education, Malakpur Khiala — with little or no faculty or students. It has reduced their student intake from 200 or 100 seats to 50 seats each.

The university has also halved the intake of Nancy College of Law, Samana; and Aryans Law College in Rajpura, which were found operating without approved faculty members. The university has asked the colleges to hire the requisite staff before the commencement of the next academic session.

Earlier, it had decided to seek cancellation of affiliation of eight colleges that were found violating rules on similar lines, but stalled the process over a lack of periodic and surprise inspections in the past many years.

Sources said the university had decided to strengthen the process of carrying out inspections and would initiate such action only upon finding repeat violations.

Meanwhile, Professor Lehal said the university teams faced immense pressure from the education mafia while taking action against the colleges.

The sources said the university had received complaints against members of the university teams seeking bribe to bypass their violations.

Discrepancies found during inspection

The university, during an inspection, found six BEd colleges — Asra College of Education, Bhawanigarh; Guru Nanak College of Education, Samaon Bhikhi; Swami Vivekanand College of Education, Moonak; Mata Gurdev Kaur Memorial Educational Institute, Bareta; Milkha Singh Educational Institute, Bareta; and Malwa College of Training and Education, Malakpur Khiala — with little or no faculty or students. It has reduced their student intake from 200 or 100 seats to 50 seats each.

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