Tech colleges block UID plan.

The initiative of the All India Council for Technical Education to issue unique identification numbers (UIDs) to all the students and faculty members in engineering colleges by April-end has hit a roadblock due to opposition from college managements.

The managements are yet to send the data on students and faculty to the AICTE despite repeated circulars from the technical body that it will impose additional financial burden on them.

The project was envisaged to streamline engineering education as well as to keep a tab on faculty members who work in multiple institutions against the norms.

The college managements want the AICTE to bear the cost of each UID card, estimated to be anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. The colleges will have to instal biometric devices for the usage of UID cards, which the managements say will financially burden them further.

However, the AICTE wants the managements to bear the expenditure from their own funds and has no objection even if they collect the fees from students for the purpose.

The college managements contend that nearly 80 per cent of the students from across the state are from poor families and depend on the fee reimbursement scheme to pursue studies.

They argue that there is no scope for the managements to collect the amount from these poor students for issuing UID cards.

Source : DC