AICTE may take action against Goa tech colleges

Technical colleges in Goa could be pushed into no-admission or reduced-intake category in 2006-07 academic year, due to non-compliance with basic requirements.

The state government has been told by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to improve teaching and learning processes by using modern aids and raising the level of general hygienic condition of these institutions, which at present are "not up to the mark".

AICTE has dashed a letter to the state government in this regard. "If the faculty position is not improved, the technical institutions may be brought to the no-admission level," the letter stated.

Even though, the state is on the threshold of becoming a laboratory to improve the quality of education for the rest of the country, the Goa government seems to have turned Nelson's eye to various technical education-related aspects, from implementation of the pay scale for the teaching staff to adhering to the minimum requirements of these technical colleges.

AICTE will carry out an inspection within the next 30 days. The government machinery, however, has not geared up to meet the challenge until now.

After enactment of the AICTE Act in 1988, technical education in states is being governed by AICTE. The pay scales for the technical education staff were made applicable to various teaching posts in 1986 and in the year 1992 the same were amended as per the AICTE scheme. In 1999, the pay scales were revised as per the Fifth Pay Commission's recommendations. Subsequently, in March 2000, AICTE issued revised pay scale and service conditions for various technical colleges.

The state government is yet to implement the AICTE pay scale, in its technical colleges including the Goa Engineering College, Goa College of Pharmacy, Goa College of Architecture and Goa College of Art.

Incidentally, the Supreme Court, in the Jaya Gokul Educational Trust V Others case, in civil application no 2589 of 2000 decided on April 11, 2000, has said that the states cannot have any policy outside AICTE Act. Thus it is apparent that the recruitment rules for various teaching posts, in all the technical colleges must meet AICTE norms and standards of March 2000.

Surprisingly, the private technical colleges in Goa are already offering the AICTE pay scales as observed from the comparative newspaper advertisements for inviting applications for the teaching staff, during post-2000 period.

Such advertisements include one released by the Padre Conceicao College of Engineering as published on January 1, 2006 and another one of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Goa, dated October 5, 2005.

These advertisements, inviting applications for posts of professors, assistant professors, associate professors, etc have offered payment according to the AICTE pay scale.

On the other hand, an advertisement of the Goa College of Pharmacy published in a local daily on March 7, 2002 and another one inviting teaching staff for the Goa Engineering College through Goa Public Service Commission and dated January 13, 2006, follow the Fifth Pay Commission pay scale.

Non-implementation of the AICTE pay scale has resulted in disparity among pay scales of the private and the government technical institutions, inability to fill the vacant posts of teaching staff due to non-finalisation of the recruitment rules and finally, threat of a penal action from AICTE.

Meanwhile, the new AICTE pay scales for the teaching staff of the technical institutions are scheduled to be announced this year, which will further complicate the matter.

The AICTE as well as the Goa University, during their inspection of these colleges have already issued ultimatum as regards to the vacant posts.