Students who leave engineering midway will get fee refund

ALL INDIA COUNCIL FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION HAS ALSO DIRECTED THE INSTITUTES NOT TO WITHHOLD THE SCHOOL/INSTITUTE LEAVING CERTIFICATES OF STUDENTS

From this academic session, engineering colleges across the country will have to refund the fee collected from the students in case they don’t join the course or if they leave midway.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has also directed the institutes not to withhold the school/institute leaving certificates of students.

According to sources, a number of students and parents had complained to the HRD ministry regarding this.

The regulatory body, has included a clause in ‘AICTE approval process handbook 2017-18’, which directs engineering institutes to refund the fees collected from the students if the seat falling vacant is subsequently filled by another candidate by the last date of admission.

A processing fee of up to ₹1,000 can be levied by the institute and proportionate monthly fee and hostel rent can be charged.

“The clause also prohibits the AICTE-approved technical institutes from retaining the school/ institute leaving certificates,” said a senior official.

In case a student withdraws before the start of the course, the entire fee collected from the student, after a deduction of the processing fee of up to ₹1,000 should be refunded by the institu- tion, the clause included in the handbook states.

“In case the vacated seat is not filled, the institution should refund the security deposit and return the original documents. Institution should not demand fee for the subsequent years from the students cancelling their admission at any point of time. Fee refund along with the return of certificates should be completed within seven days,” the AICTE said in the handbook.

The council can penalise the institutes if they are found violating these norms. For instance, a fine for non-compliance of refund of fee levied against each case will be twice the total fee collected per student and the council can also withdraw the approval granted to the programme or course.

Recently, the UGC had also notified a regulation according to which higher educational institutions cannot insist a student to submit the original and personal certificates at the time of submitting admission form.

Public figures, including politicians, cannot be refrained from commenting on acts of crime because it would affect their right to free speech and expression, Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi made this submission before a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra in the context of SP leader Azam Khan’s comment on the Bulandhshaher gangrape case. Khan had said the alleged sexual assault on a minor girl (14) and her mother (45) in July last year near a highway on western UP was a political conspiracy.

The survivors had moved the SC seeking CBI investigation as they had lost faith in the local police especially after Khan’s remarks. The CBI took over the probe in March this year.

However, Justice Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar decided to lay down guidelines on whether public personalities, specifically those in power, can comment on an incident even before the investigation starts.

“If an offence of rape occurs and someone says it’s a political conspiracy then there can be no restriction on such expression. He is not trivializing the incident,” the AG told the bench.

However, the court wanted the law officer to weigh right to free speech under Article 19 (1) (a) visà-vis the right to live with dignity under Article 21.