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The survival of pharmacy, mgmt, PTC and BEd colleges is at the mercy of bargain hunters. These private institutes are offering huge discounts to fill thousands of seats lying vacant
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, August 19, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=201008192010081902411883480619fb)
Education has not been in a more sorry state than this in Gujarat. The colleges that once charged not less than Rs 2 lakh for a management quota seat, are now offering hefty discounts in a desperate race for survival. Reason: There are more seats available than the number of students wanting them. The problem of plenty is being faced by pharmacy, management, PTC and BEd colleges in the state.
There is no other option, really, for these cash-starved colleges except offering discounts. The Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) recently wrapped up the admission process for engineering and pharmacy colleges after conducting three rounds. While all engineering seats have been occupied, there are as many as 2,827 degree seats and 3,216 diploma seats lying vacant in pharmacy colleges.
Filling the vacant seats is now entirely the headache of individual colleges. ACPC has started the process of handing over the charge of conducting admissions to these colleges. Their business is now at the mercy of the bargain hunters. Ironically, the meritorious students who got into colleges through the ACPC admission process will be paying more than the ones grabbing these vacant seats.
The highest discount — 50 per cent — is being offered by a pharmacy college in Saurashtra. Other colleges in the region, besides offering huge discounts, are even allowing those interested to pay in instalments.
Sources say, the trend is worrying since it will have a cascade effect leading to downsizing and ultimately affecting the quality of education.
When this reporter called up Vivek Bharati Trust Pharmacy College in Saurashtra posing as a parent to enquire about admission, he was told they could slash the fee by Rs 5,000. N R Vekaria Institute of Pharmacy, Junagadh, was offering him a concession of Rs 7,000.
ACPC’s member secretary M N Patel said: “The discount practice being followed by many colleges in the state has been brought to our notice. Nearly 90 per cent of the pharmacy colleges in the state have vacant seats. The skewed demand-supply ratio is prompting these colleges to tweak their admission rules and make changes in their fee structure. It would not be surprising, if, in a couple of years, engineering colleges too resort to the same strategy to fill their seats.”
Of the 9,400 seats in GU-affiliated BEd colleges, 2,200 are lying vacant; 2,800 more seats are still vacant in BEd colleges affiliated to other universities in the state. As many as 20,000 seats in state’s PTC colleges are still unoccupied, sources told Mirror.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, August 19, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=201008192010081902411883480619fb)
Education has not been in a more sorry state than this in Gujarat. The colleges that once charged not less than Rs 2 lakh for a management quota seat, are now offering hefty discounts in a desperate race for survival. Reason: There are more seats available than the number of students wanting them. The problem of plenty is being faced by pharmacy, management, PTC and BEd colleges in the state.
There is no other option, really, for these cash-starved colleges except offering discounts. The Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) recently wrapped up the admission process for engineering and pharmacy colleges after conducting three rounds. While all engineering seats have been occupied, there are as many as 2,827 degree seats and 3,216 diploma seats lying vacant in pharmacy colleges.
Filling the vacant seats is now entirely the headache of individual colleges. ACPC has started the process of handing over the charge of conducting admissions to these colleges. Their business is now at the mercy of the bargain hunters. Ironically, the meritorious students who got into colleges through the ACPC admission process will be paying more than the ones grabbing these vacant seats.
The highest discount — 50 per cent — is being offered by a pharmacy college in Saurashtra. Other colleges in the region, besides offering huge discounts, are even allowing those interested to pay in instalments.
Sources say, the trend is worrying since it will have a cascade effect leading to downsizing and ultimately affecting the quality of education.
When this reporter called up Vivek Bharati Trust Pharmacy College in Saurashtra posing as a parent to enquire about admission, he was told they could slash the fee by Rs 5,000. N R Vekaria Institute of Pharmacy, Junagadh, was offering him a concession of Rs 7,000.
ACPC’s member secretary M N Patel said: “The discount practice being followed by many colleges in the state has been brought to our notice. Nearly 90 per cent of the pharmacy colleges in the state have vacant seats. The skewed demand-supply ratio is prompting these colleges to tweak their admission rules and make changes in their fee structure. It would not be surprising, if, in a couple of years, engineering colleges too resort to the same strategy to fill their seats.”
Of the 9,400 seats in GU-affiliated BEd colleges, 2,200 are lying vacant; 2,800 more seats are still vacant in BEd colleges affiliated to other universities in the state. As many as 20,000 seats in state’s PTC colleges are still unoccupied, sources told Mirror.
