AMRITSAR: An emergency meeting was today held at Khalsa College in which the Principals of all the seven Guru Nanak Dev University-affiliated-Colleges under Khalsa Colleges Charitable Society (KCCS), Amritsar raised serious concerns over the new Common Admission Portal, being launched by the Punjab Government.
They termed the new system as a direct attack on the autonomies of the colleges and ruinous for the education that will trigger large scale harassment for the students.
The Principles who met under the chairmanship of KCCS honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said the state government has announced the centralized admission portal for session 2021-22 academic sessions for Colleges under the GNDU, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala and Panjab University, Chandigarh. Under the new system all the admissions in the Colleges will be made through this integrated portal. ``This is a highly illogical and irrational decision which will not see the test of the time. The Colleges are already hit with the Covid and this system will be a further blow to the higher education in the state”, said Chhina following the meeting.
Khalsa College Principal Dr. Mehal Singh said there was a state wide resentment over the issue as he condemned the move by the government. There was a unanimous view that the government must take back the decision as education was already passing through a fragile period and such centralization will prove to be detrimental for the future of the students who will face harassment in the hands of the agents.
Apart from him, Principal of Khalsa College for Women Dr.Surinder Kaur, Principal of Khalsa College of Education Dr.Harpreet Kaur, Principal of Khalsa College of Education, Ranjit Avenue, Dr. Surinderpal Kaur Dhillon, Principal of Khalsa College of Law Dr.Jaspal Singh, Principal of Khalsa College of Chawinda Devi Dr.HB Singh and Principal of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College for Women Nanak Singh took part in the meeting and they said that the decision was being imposed arbitrarily and they being the stakeholders have not even been consulted over the issue by the government.
They said there are numerous problems that will crop up because of this new system such as how will the students deposit online fees, seek concessions, change subjects as earlier they used to approach Colleges for such routine works. They said already the Covid-19 has played havoc with the lives of the people and this new decision will further put students and their parents to higher levels of stress for seeking admission in the Colleges.
"Earlier the state governments had introduced such common admissions for the B.Ed, Law Colleges which had miserably failed. Now the government is introducing the same failed system and all the colleges in the state”, said Chhina adding that many college principals and management are holding meetings on this to oppose the move of the government tooth and nail. He added that the existing college admission process adopted by respective colleges was suitable for the diverse needs of the students. The order issued will spoil the existing order and create an anarchic situation in the whole admission process”, said Chhina.