College federation slams Punjabi University move to double endowment funds

Bathinda: Representatives from aided and unaided colleges affiliated with Punjabi University unanimously resolved to oppose the university's decision to double endowment funds, labelling the move arbitrary and detrimental to the fiscal health of the colleges.The university has raised these funds from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for arts, science and commerce colleges for girls and from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for law, professional and other multidisciplinary colleges. The decision was taken in an emergent meeting of the executive body of the Non-Government Colleges Managements Federation of Punjab and Chandigarh (NGCMF) held at SD College, Barnala, on Monday. Federation functionaries, backed by the Punjabi University Unaided Colleges Association, urged all affiliated institutions to disregard this directive and vowed to fight the decision at political, bureaucratic and legal levels. The federation highlighted that many colleges, particularly those in rural and remote border regions with low student enrolment, are grappling with severe financial hardships caused by a widening gap between revenue and operational costs, coupled with decreasing govt grants. The federation also discussed other critical financial strains, including delayed DPI grants, the full implementation of the 95% grant-in-aid scheme for regular teachers, post reviews under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the reimbursement of gratuity and earned leave encashment. The federation urged the Punjab govt to formulate a comprehensive policy to sustain these vital institutions. MSID:: 131585365 413 |