BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, Aug 30: Engineering colleges in the State will have to refund fees collected from students in case they do not join the course or if they leave midway.
Sources told The Sentinel that the instruction in this regard has already been issued by the State Education department following a new admission rule framed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
The AICTE, the regulatory body of the country's technical education, has included a clause in 'AICTE approval process handbook 2017-18' directing engineering institutes to refund the fees collected from students if the seat falling vacant is subsequently filled by another candidate by the last date of admission. A processing fee of up to Rs 1,000 can be levied by the institute and proportiote monthly fee and hostel rent can be charged.
On the other hand, as per the new rule in case a student withdraws his seat before the start of the course, the entire fee collected from the student, after a deduction of the processing fee of up to Rs 1,000 should be refunded by the institution.
Sources said the AICTE will pelize the institutes if they are found violating the new rule. A fine for non-compliance of refund of fee levied against each case will be twice the total fee collected per student. The council has been empowered to withdraw the approval granted to the programme or course.
The new rule has also prohibited the AICTE-approved technical institutes from retaining the origil school/institute leaving certificates. The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently also notified a regulation barring higher educatiol institutions to insist upon a student to submit the origil and persol certificates and testimonials like mark-sheets, school leaving certificates and other such documents at the time of submitting admission form.
Sources said the new rule against retaining origil testimonials of students has been framed following complaints from parents and students from different parts of the country to the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.