PUNE: The CBI swoop on All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) officials in Delhi on Thursday has blown the lid off alleged corruption in the apex body, alleged the head of an educational institute in the city on Friday. Some others though maintained that institutes complying with norms did not face any harassment.
The CBI on Thursday arrested K Narayan Rao, member-secretary of AICTE and middleman S B Subba Rao for allegedly seeking a bribe for granting approval to an engineering college in Andhra Pradesh. The CBI has also registered a case against AICTE chairman R A Yadav, advisor H C Rai and deputy director Robinder Randhawa in another incident of corruption.
The head of prominent management and engineering institutes in the city, on condition of anonymity, alleged that AICTE had a deep-rooted nexus which squeezed money from institutes by deliberately withholding letters of approval for existing and additional intakes.
The source said, “Institutes have to apply to AICTE for approval of courses and intake capacity every year. AICTE denied additional intake for our management and engineering institutes this year citing deficiencies in infrastructure. When we went in for appeal, the engineering intake was granted without any hassle, but management courses got additional intake from 2010-2011. Now we have approached the Bombay High Court.”
This head of an education institute also alleged that AICTE officials sit on approval letters to corner institutes and seek money. AICTE has issued back-dated approval letters this year too after institutes “settled” the matter with top officials, the source alleged.
Another management expert, who has been vocal on unscrupulous approvals to courses by AICTE, maintained that all was not well in the apex body. He said, “Many institutes, without proper infrastructure and faculty, get approval for management courses. This indicates there is something more than meets the eye. It is unfortunate that money dictates higher education.”
The founder of a prominent group of institutes which runs engineering, pharmacy and management courses, though was of opinion that the approval process at AICTE has become transparent. He said, “We faced some problems at the initial stages, but it was because of some envious competitors. Now, we don’t even need to visit AICTE as my institutes stay on every laid-down norm. Institutes not complying with rules and regulations force be facing a situation, but I am not aware of it.”
AICTE has issued back-dated approval letters after institutes “settled” the matter with top officials, a source alleged