Regulate admission in pvt engg colleges: CPI(M) MP to Govt

A Rajya Sabha member today said there was an urgent need to control commercialisation of private engineering colleges and other such institutions, expressing concern over large number of vacant seats due to the high fee structure.
CPI(M) member K K Ragesh said it was "extremely shocking" that such engineering colleges had eight lakh vacant seats out of over 18 lakh seats they had, whereas seats in government engineering colleges remained 100 per cent full.
Ragesh, while moving a private bill called 'Self Financing Professional Educational Institutions (Control and Regulation), Bill, 2015', said the needy and meritorious students were denied admission in the private colleges due to the exorbitant fee structure and stressed the need to check mushrooming of such "capital oriented" colleges.

He also alleged that half of the faculty in such organisations were not genuine and said his legislation will provide proper planning and coordinated development of self-financing professional educational institutions in the country by regulating the admission of students and prescribing a fee structure in such institutions.
He said the bill was also intended to prevent commercialisation of professional education and prohibition of capitation fees.
Earlier, several private members' bills were introduced, including one on the right of children to free and compulsory education and another on prevention of Caste-Based Discrimination in Educational Institutions.