This is the time of the year when senior officials (I would call them sharks) of so-called ‘leading universities’ in India visit the Gulf to lure students to their institutions, and I am writing this as a warning to parents before they shell out huge amounts of money for admission.
I will narrate my story here. Four years ago, the director, international relations, of a Amrita University, Ettimadi, Coimbatore, India, which has campuses in Kerala and Karnataka, visited Muscat scouting for students. I met him at an Indian school in Dubai and paid the Rs 700, 000 he demanded for my son’s admission in the university’s engineering (IT branch) college.
Initially, I was reluctant to pay such a big sum, but he said: ‘You
have to decide fast, because there are hundreds in the queue’. He also boasted that ‘not a single student who graduated from our university remains unemployed’, and listed the names all the top IT companies who visited his university for on-campus recruitment every year.
Ultimately, because I had no other option at the time, I paid. I am repenting now. For so many reasons.
First, this ‘great’ university has discontinued its IT course! So much for campus selection.
Second, I found out that the teaching standards are sub-standard, to say the least. Most of the teachers are fresh engineering graduates without any experience and don’t even speak correct English (forget about good English). Half the time they conduct classes in Tamil. Any student who dares to request a clarification is insulted in front of the entire class. Once during a visit there, I mentioned this to this gentleman, the Director, International Relations. His answer was: ‘Well, you bring good teachers, we are prepared to pay them Rs100, 000 a month… We are trying, but we don’t get properly qualified teachers!’
Third, the atmosphere on the campus is oppressive. The teaching staff and administration officials misbehave with students for the slightest of reasons. They insult and abuse students openly, totally demoralising them. In fact, students are scared of the staff and don’t speak out openly.
Fourth, the conditions in the hostels are deplorable, particularly in relation to food served to inmates. Most students are forced to eat at the canteens within the campus, paying exorbitant prices. The parents, thus, end up paying the mess fees plus the canteen expenses!
After my visit to the university, I discovered that this is a very cleverly planned trick, in the sense that the university makes huge profits from leasing out the canteens. I counted at least four sprawling canteens, all crowded all the time, and two more were under construction. Thus the reason for the poor quality food in the hostel mess becomes obvious.
I write this letter to caution parents to be vigilant. Please do not pay any money unless and until you make your own investigations about the university/college where you are planning to admit your children. Don’t be duped by the big-name institutions.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Intended at -Jayakrishnan-
E-Mail: sauravjay@hotmail.com
Mr.Honorary BROKER, sorry... Educational consultant,
I would like to know your Educational qualification, first of all. You said why pay rs.7 lakh for an engineering seat and people like it promote corruption. Why does a holy institution run under the chancellorship of a so called goddess, collect such a huge money? Huh... May be the swamijis need to eat high protein rich diets and have swiss bank accounts. Mark my words... BROKERS (in the guise of educational consultants) like you should be condemned. Dont you have any other means for living? why play in a student's career?
Dear FacultyofAmritaCBE,
I have read your post. Since u work here, its natural for u to put Jaalra for this college. My views on ur post and my views are True:
1. u said that students dont walk as couples inside the campus, but I can see couples everywhere and after 6, they behave somewhat differently,
2. u said that some students buy projects from Gandhipuram bus stand... U seemed to be funny and ended up with a bad joke... I ask u. U are a faculty right? Would you dare to build your own project? every engineering student in Tamilnadu get their project from a centre and Amrita is not an exception .
3. U said food is nice... yes very nice non veg like cockroaches and for mineral supplementation we get Iron scraps in food,
4. U said that V.C. is a great visionary... This comes under a good joke. Does any single student remember V.C, doing a single thing for this college... Atleast do they know who is V.C? For 99.99% of the time he is in Foreign like our honourable PM,
5. And finally DEAN, ENGINEERING, I am referring to ex.dean M.P.C... God is there. He got the punishment what he deserved! The poor fellow had to run out of this college... Shame on him. If he is efficient in solving students' issues, why does he want to, LITERALLY, run out out of the college with heels touching his heads? Poor fellow.
The security at the gate seems to be very strict - in actual fact it is not the case, just a show of power. When I visited the college the security said only parent and a driver can go, but behind there is another car with 6 persons seeking for admission for "a" student being allowed. Office staff are unfit to be employed in an university. Soon the value of the University will reach the dead end
Please join Karunya University .It has better management, excellent faculty and a peaceful atmosphere.It is run by our beloved Dr.Paul Dhinakaran who has done a lot for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden.