College fleecing us for marks card, say BEd students

A year after the completion of their bachelor’s degree in education (BEd), the students of Bangalore City College have been able to get jobs as their marks cards are yet to be handed over to them.

The students are now running from pillar to post requesting officials to give them their marks cards.

While the status of affiliation of the college is yet to be confirmed, the students have alleged that the management has been “fleecing” them for the marks card.

The college, affiliated to Bangalore University, was blacklisted by the university, which also slapped a show-cause notice on it following reports of irregularities. Students of the batch of 2011-12 wrote their annual examination in December 2012. 

Even though the results for the course were announced by the university in February 2013, the results of the students of Bangalore City College were withheld. However, the university declared the results in November 2013, but several months on, the students are still left in the lurch.

The students have now filed a complaint at the Hennur police station against the college for allegedly asking them for money in return for marks cards. 

Representation submitted

They have also submitted a representation to the Department of Higher Education. In their representation, the students have stated that after the High Court of Karnataka’s direction, the university announced the results in November 2013. They have also complained that the college management collected Rs 5,000 from 22 students (Rs 1.1 lakh in all) to give a one-line photocopy of the results. 

Further, the students alleged that the college was demanding money again to issue the marks cards.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, one of the students said: “Every time we approach them, they find one way or the other to fleece us. Time and again they ask us for money. Now, we have been told that unless we pay Rs 5,000 more, we will not get our marks cards.”

Bangalore City College chairman T N Murthy said the problem was due to the delay on the part of the university. “There has been a delay from the university’s end. We hope to get it within a week.”

He denied that the college was collecting any money from the students for the marks cards.

A senior official in Bangalore University admitted to the persisting problem with several institutions. “The university is in a helpless position when it comes to several such colleges that are on the verge of losing affiliation but somehow manage to secure the government’s permission by using their influence. It is more business than education for these colleges.”

Bangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof B Thimme Gowda said the affiliation of the college (recently approved by the university Syndicate) was being processed and it would take some time before the marks cards were given to the students.

With regard to the allegations against the college that it was collecting money from the students, he said the university would intervene based on a written complaint from the students.