Admission on basis of improvement marks should not be allowed in future

[sajiv]

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has said that admissions to unaided engineering colleges during academic year 2007-2008 based on marks in the improvement examinations conducted by boards of other States should be approved by the Director of Technical Education (DTE), Chennai. It made clear that hereafter, self-financing colleges should not admit any student on the basis of the improvement marks from any State board.

Justice S. Nagamuthu was passing a common order while allowing a batch of writ petitions by unaided educational institutions offering B.E course, challenging an order of the DTE in December 2007, rejecting students admitted on the basis of marks in the improvement examinations conducted by boards in other States.

The petitioners contended that when admissions were made for 2007-08, the DTE had not clarified that improvement marks secured by students from boards of other States would not be considered. A circular was issued only on November 30, 2007 informing the colleges that admissions should not be made on the basis of improvement marks. By that time the admissions had been completed. Later, orders were issued rejecting these admissions. The Special Government Pleader (SGP) submitted that in Tamil Nadu, improvement examination for Plus Two students had been done away with long back. When it was challenged, a Division Bench of the High Court had held that the marks secured in the improvement examination held for 2005-06 alone would be considered for admission to professional colleges. In future, there would not be any consideration of improvement marks. The colleges knew this well. For the current year, since the students had appeared for the semester examinations, taking a lenient view, the government was not keen to nonsuit students.

In his order, Mr. Justice Nagamuthu said there was force in the SGP's argument that colleges could not plead ignorance that in Tamil Nadu improvement marks were not considered for admission to professional colleges. So the colleges' action in admitting the students could not be appreciated at all. At the same time, the DTE's action in not issuing necessary circular in time could not be appreciated. Also, in the prospectus issued by the DTE for 2007-08, the clause that improvement marks secured by candidates from boards of other States should not be considered was missing. The Judge directed Anna University to publish the results of the examinations attended by these students as per the interim orders passed on the petitions.