TNN,
Mumbai Edition, 08th July 2008
Mumbai: In a desperate bid to halt junior
college admissions, the Laxmi Education Society, which runs
the LUMV and Chinai colleges in Andheri, has hung a notice
on the colleges’ common gate saying that it will no
longer run Class XI. The society’s action comes after
the government has ordered the colleges to carry on with
admissions. The state is expected to decide in a few weeks
if the colleges can close.
Over the last few years, the management has tried its best
to shut down both colleges by reducing the strength of the
students and declaring staff surplus.
This year, when the colleges refused to distribute junior
college admission forms, the LUMV and Chinai College Bachav
Samiti, comprising both teaching and non-teaching staff,
collected a few thousand letters from students who were
denied admission forms and submitted the letters to chief
minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
On orders from Deshmukh, Mumbai’s deputy director
of education, Sheila Tiwari, constituted an eight-member
committee comprising two education officers and six members
of the samiti. The panel drew up the first merit lists.
So, while college managements across Mumbai have drawn up
merit lists for their junior colleges, at LUMV and Chinai
it was the deputy director’s committee which drew
up the lists.
The entire admissions procedure has been delayed at these
two colleges, as the second merit lists have already been
put up at other Mumbai colleges. For LUMV and Chinai, only
the first list for Class XI was put up on Monday by the
committee. However, simultaneously, the management put up
its notice announcing that there would be no Class XI.
“This is absolutely illegal,’’ said a
government official who does not wish to be named. Over
a week ago, the Bombay High Court set aside an order passed
by the school tribunal calling for the closure of the colleges.
The question of closure will be decided by the state government
in four weeks.
However, the notice put up outside the colleges on Monday
says that a 2007 high court order directed the management
to run the colleges for two years for students admitted
in the year 2007-08, something the management has complied
with, and therefore it is now closing down Class XI.
“This is completely wrong on the part of the management.
There has been no decision by the high court to close down
the colleges. The management is obliged to run the college.
The government has ordered the drawing up of a merit list
for the college,’’ said Sudhir Paranjape, a
former teacher of the college and member of the samiti.
ADMISSIONS
SCHEDULE
July
3, 3pm: 1st merit list July 3-5, till 5.30pm: Pay fees July
5, 5.30pm: 2nd merit list* July 7-8 till 5.30pm: Pay fees
July 8, 5.30pm: 3rd merit list July 9-10, till 5.30pm: Pay
fees July 10, 5.30pm: 4th merit list July 11, till 5.30pm:
Pay fees July 11, 5.30pm: 5th merit list July 12, till 5.30pm:
Pay fees
* Some colleges put up the second list on July 7
