Latest news with #RegulationofAdmissionsandFees)Act
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Students & parents advised to be careful during admission season
With the admission season having started, several parents across Maharashtra are finding themselves caught in a web of fraudulent agents promising guaranteed seats in prestigious professional colleges under the management quota. In the past two months alone, at least three to four such cases have occurred raising concerns over the transparency of the admission process in private and deemed universities. Many students with average academic marks, along with their parents, attempt to secure seats in reputed institutions through alternative routes. (HT) Despite recent amendments to the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, which mandate a transparent admission process for management quota seats in professional courses such as engineering, pharmacy, MBA, MCA, and architecture, the situation on the ground is anything but. While affiliated colleges are required to follow stricter norms, private and deemed universities have been granted complete autonomy which grants agents access to thrive. A parent told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity, 'I came across an agent through a Prime Shiksha advertisement on social media. When I contacted them, they asked me to visit their office at Agarwal Business Park in Kharadi. The agent's name was Deepak Agarwal, and two others Vineet and Shivam Sharma. They initially asked ₹ 13 lakh for admission to engineering at PICT through the NRI and institute quota. After some discussion, the deal was fixed at ₹ 12 lakh. We even visited the college and filled out a form and I paid them ₹ 12 lakh. They told us that the college would send an admission confirmation through email. However, when I tried to contact them the next day, their phones were switched off, and the office was locked. My son scored 92% which is quite good. I want to warn other parents; please don't fall for such agents.' Responding to this, Kalpesh Yadav, joint secretary of Yuva Sena, said, 'The criteria for management quota admissions is that they should be carried out based on merit. Last year, we successfully completed the admission of 383 students purely on merit, without taking a single rupee and we are also raising voice against it.' Cities like Pune and Nashik, which host some of the state's top institutions, are witnessing a surge in demand for management quota seats. Many students with average academic marks, along with their parents, attempt to secure seats in reputed institutions through alternative routes. In doing so, they often rely on admission agents, many of whom turn out to be fraudsters. In Pune, at least three to four such fraud cases have surfaced in the last year, with parents reportedly losing lakhs of rupees. The agents exploit the urgency and emotional vulnerability of families keen on securing their child's academic future. As a result, many institutes and government officials are urging families to avoid falling for promises of guaranteed admissions. Several institutions have started issuing public advisories, warning against dealing with unverified agents. To address the rising number of complaints, support groups such as the Innovation Foundation and Yuva Sena have set up helplines for students and parents facing admission-related issues. 'Last year, we helped several students who had been defrauded by these agents. This year, too, our helpline is open to assist anyone in need,' said Kalpesh Yadav, joint secretary of Yuva Sena. The helpline number for assistance is 9623337777.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Institutional round applications for engg, mgmt via CET cell too
Mumbai: Aspirants seeking admission in the institutional round for engineering, management and pharmacy courses can now apply centrally through the state's CET cell too. Previously, candidates only had the option of approaching individual colleges directly and often faced the risk of being turned away on various pretexts. To bring in more transparency in admissions to institutional quota seats across technical courses, including diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate, the state govt has decided to step up precautionary measures. For instance, the govt has now removed the ambiguity in the definition of 'NRI', paving the way for only genuine candidates to secure seats under the quota. Additionally, the state's Fees Regulatory Authority (FRA) also fixed fees for institutional quota seats for the first time in technical colleges—private, unaided colleges can now charge up to five times the fees for merit seats from NRI students and three times from students taking admission in management seats. The govt issued a notification bringing in amendments in the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015 on Friday. One of the provisions in the notification stated, "In case a candidate is unable to submit the application directly to the concerned institute for any reason, the candidate shall have the opportunity to apply through the website of the CET cell till the date of allotment of final admission round. " These applications will be forwarded to the respective institutions after the allotment process of round four and will be considered for merit, it mentioned. Vinod Mohitkar, director, directorate of technical education, said the govt is not overstepping on the rights of management to conduct the institutional round. "We receive some complaints from students about certain institutions refusing applications for the institutional round. We are, therefore, only offering students an additional platform to apply. These applications will be compiled and sent to respective institutions and they will include these names, while preparing their merit list," said the director. Some of the admission rules were also modified in the notification, but were announced before. The state's cabinet, in a meeting this week, also announced aspirants seeking admission under the NRI quota for any courses will have to submit a certificate from respective consulate offices or documents mentioned in Guardians and Wards Act, 1890. A department official said even local students claimed admissions under NRI quota by submitting affidavits. Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil had announced revision in admission process for more transparency.
