Nagpur: The Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) has cracked down on 16 polytechnics across the state with 10 in Nagpur region that failed to upgrade their facilities and infrastructure as per norms. A circular by technical education director Subhash Mahajan on the directorate of technical education’s (DTE) website cautioned joint directors of technical education in various regions from admitting students in these colleges or branches, which were disaffiliated last week.
He also warned the erring colleges against admitting students under centralized admission process (CAP) conduced by DTE or under management quota, stating that this may lead to court cases regarding enrolment numbers. He called on them not to admit students in first year or in second year through direct admissions for 2015-16 academic session.
About 6,616 students from Nagpur University’s 250 colleges had faced problems when they were granted admissions in banned colleges despite NU prohibiting them for operating without a single teacher and infrastructure. NU had taken the step after stringent directives from the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. It was only after an intervention by the government that NU conducted a special examination for these aggrieved students in August last year, which in normal course should have been conducted in summer 2014. The situation has hardly changed with majority of colleges in NU still operating without full-time teachers and infrastructure.
Interestingly, Nagpur division had largest number of polytechnics lacking in facilities, leading to their disaffiliation by MSBTE, which governs state polytechnics. About 10 from Nagpur, four from Aurangabad and one each from Mumbai and Pune were blacklisted by DTE.
Shri Krushnarao Pandav Polytechnic, W.Tech, ED & Research Smt R Purohit Institute and Bhausaheb Mulak Polytechnic are three from Nagpur.
Earlier, MSBTE director Abhay Wagh dispatched a letter to DTE, explaining why they had disaffiliated colleges or branches after following prescribed procedure. The board regularly inspects polytechnics once in a year, and twice a year for those yet to complete five years. An outside agency not related to the board is entrusted with the task as per Section 31 of MSBTE Act for examining infrastructure and quality.
Wagh said they invite proposals from colleges in online format, where they were required to fill up complete details on their facilities like library, laboratories, equipment, building, and classrooms among others. This information is supplied to the inspection agency, which then verifies claims by visiting the campuses. It then submits a report pointing out various deficiencies with their comments, including opinion of students and their grievances.
MSBTE grades colleges on five point scale from excellent to poor. Wagh informed that those in last category were granted hearing on June 2 and 3, and categorically told to remove deficiencies. Those who failed to adhere to the directives were disaffiliated last week.
