Private colleges a dubious option

New Delhi: Look before you leap. The saying holds true when it comes to admissions. Delhi University has around 45,000 seats but receives more than twice the number of applications every year.

Students, who are not able to make it to the prestigious Delhi University, often take up the option of seeking admission to private universities.

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However, you should be careful before you opt for a private college or else you could end up being in a no man's land.

"I am just a graduate working in a call center," says Ksitij Singh, an MBA in Marketing and Human Resource from a private University.

However, the only proof he has of being an MBA is a mark sheet, not a degree. The university he graduated from was not recognised and so he was not given an MBA degree.

Ksitij's case is not the only one. Twenty-three-year old Neerja was still pursuing her Bachelor's in Mass Communication from Rai University's Dehradun Campus when the campus was shut.

"I joined that course for getting a bachelors degree in my hand in three years. If they are not giving me that degree why should I pay that extra amount?," says Neerja who could not complete her degree and had to leave the course mid-way. "What should I do now, who is responsible, who spoilt our lives, and we don't even know."

The authorities at Rai Foundation College blame it on the lack of funds that the campus had to be closed.

"How will the university run without money? Students did not pay the fee so how on the earth are we supposed to run it," Rai Foundation College General Manager Arvind Dhar says.

Career counselors feel not all private universities are troublesome. However, students should take all the precautions before staking their career and money in private colleges.

"There are some institutes that are fooling the students that bring out huge ads that they will place the students at the end of the course. However, we are yet to find out the facts behind these claims as to where they are placed," says career counsellor Usha Albuquerque.

"Students must check for UGC recognition for a degree programme, AICTE recognition for a technical programme and see what are the kind of people who have passed out. Besides, they must call them up and find out where they are and what company are they working for," she adds.

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