The Andhra Pradesh government has started a crackdown on corporate intermediate colleges for criminally sitting on the certificates of the students and demanding fees. On Wednesday, B Rajsekhar, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, wrote to Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang to initiate action against such colleges.
"In this regard, the DGP, Vijayawada, has been requested to instruct the authorities concerned to initiate necessary action against the principals/management of junior colleges who are withholding/possessing SSC (10th standard) certificates of students illegally and not issuing transfer certificates (TC)," wrote Rajsekhar.
The Principal Secretary highlighted that some junior college managements are not returning the students' SSC certificates, intermediate pass certificates and TCs for want of tuition fees and other reasons.
"The complaints against college managements by the students include insisting for payment of additional amount, committed due amount and fees for online classes etc. for issuing the said certificates," he said.
This unnecessary delay in procuring certificates is causing much heartburn among the students and their families as they are unable to go ahead with their preparations for higher studies.
"Many students who got admission in IITs have complained to me that the colleges are sitting on their certificates, impairing their future plans," V. Ramakrishna, Secretary, Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), told IANS.
Rajsekhar reminded that the BIE (Board of Intermediate) had barred the colleges from withholding certificates in July itself as many college managements resort to this criminal activity regularly, terrorising students.
Already, the BIE has obviated the need for intermediate colleges to physically verify a student's 10th standard certificate and other documents, a much-abused procedure to gain complete domination over the students.
"In the name of verifying certificates, they (college managements) are holding back the certificates if they (students) don't pay tuition fees and for other kinds of reasons," Ramakrishna had said earlier.
In his appeal to the DGP, he also attached some complaints received from the students and their parents for reference.