Irregularities In Private Engineering Colleges In Telangana

"If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher." A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

It is unfortunate to write about the irregularities and corruption in the private medical, MBA and engineering educational institutions in the state of Telangana. Although the TRS government in Telangana State conducted Task Forces to check irregularities and corruption in these private educational institutions, there are lots of irregularities still going on.

The managements of these private colleges treat the principals of their educational institutions as puppets without giving them due respect and powers. When the principals want to follow the rules to protect the faculty and employees, they are fired by the owners of private colleges. There are many cases where the principals and professors who follow the rules are fired from these colleges on silly charges. At times, the private managements file wrong charges against these principals and professors to get rid of them without paying salaries. Worse, these private managements fill the senior positions and principals before the JNTU, OU and AICTE inspections to comply with the guidelines such as availability of PhD holders and the faculty members as per the faculty and student ratio. Once inspections are completed, the senior faculty members are fired without giving valid reasons. These managements are notorious for not giving salaries to their employees, service certificates and last salary drawn certificates when the latter leave their services. They also use their security forces against their faculty members.

The owners of these private colleges show to regulating bodies that they are paying salaries as per the AICTE guidelines and transfer the salary to employees through bank and they take the signatures of the employees for the differential payments. These transactions are clearly evident through bank transactions. Any Income Tax department can make a note of these irregularities. The bank employees associated with these colleges are also aware of these manipulations by these private colleges. Nowadays these notorious private colleges started taking signed cheques from their employees to avoid getting caught by the regulating bodies and income tax department. These private managements deduct the income tax amount from their employees as per the salary paid as per the AICTE (which is always higher than the salary actually paid to the employees). In this way, the employees pay more tax to Income Tax department than what they are supposed to pay due to the inflated salaries by the private managements to comply with regulating bodies. In this way also, the private managements are benefitted.

The students suffer the most under these notorious private managements as the latter charge exorbitant fee by dubious means. These private managements charge money from students by way of conducting extra classes or seminars or the projects.

The owners of these private colleges have close connections with top politicians from all political parties and pay money during the elections. If required, they use goons to crush the faculty members and employees who voice against corruption and irregularities in their colleges. Some of the colleges are run by local politicians indirectly. Hence, the employees and students find it tough to check this menace. The intellectuals in the affiliated universities and regulating bodies are aware of these irregularities and corruption but they are helpless. The owners of these private management invite top officials from these affiliated universities and regulating bodies to their college 'annual day' functions and for other ceremonies to keep them in good humor. These top officials are also paid with huge honorarium by way of 'guest lectures'.

The owners of these private colleges have converted education into prostitution. Therefore, there must be coordinated efforts from all stakeholders including government, press, nonprofits, parents, intellectuals, and students to check corruption and irregularities in private engineering colleges in the state of Telangana and elsewhere in India. If essential, Central Bureau of Instigation (CBI) must enter to check corruption in these private colleges.

The objective of any education is to create conducive environment for educators to share their knowledge with students to groom them as enlightened and healthy citizens. Unfortunately, it is missing now. It is time for all of us to set the house in order to build a better society.

"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds." Franklin Roosevelt