Indore: Admission to minority colleges; after a decade, DHE cites ‘SC order’ for restrictions

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The department of higher education (DHE), on Thursday, denied lifting the restrictions imposed on admissions to minority colleges citing “an order by the Supreme Court”.

Interestingly, the DHE came up with the order—a copy of which has not been shared with the minority colleges—nearly 10 years after the centralised online admission process was started in the state and institutes with minority status were allowed to admit students in the direct mode.

This year, the government not only made the entire process online, but “unwarranted” conditions were also imposed on admission of students. The guidelines state that, although the reservation policy would not be applicable to them, minority colleges still have to admit students keeping the ratio of “one minority student against one non-minority student” in mind.

First, it is the first time that such a condition has been imposed on minority colleges in the past one decade. Second, the guidelines state that quota seats in government and aided colleges will be converted into general seats in the last round of counselling if they remain unoccupied. But such a facility has not been provided to minority colleges even in the last leg of counselling.

Nearly 25 days after the release of ‘Admission Guidelines 2022-’23’, directors of minority colleges met higher education minister Mohan Yadav in the city on Thursday and requested him to remove the restrictions on them.

As the model code of conduct is in force, the minister did not give any assurance of getting the corrections done to the admission guidelines. DHE officers told minority college directors that relief could not be granted to them immediately. However, Dhirendra Shukla, an OSD at the DHE, told the college directors that minority institutes would be allowed to convert seats meant for students belonging to the minority sections into general seats in the last round of counselling. “No assurance in writing has been given to us, however,” said Dr Narendra Dhakad, president of the Minority College Association.

Meanwhile, the minority colleges have moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court against the DHE’s restrictions on them.