RTI exposes university claims over diploma

Siddharth Prabhakar| TNN | Oct 18, 2017, 08:49 IST

CHENNAI: An inquiry by the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC) into a second appeal filed after an RTI application to Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) has revealed that a post-graduate diploma course in environmental sanitation science offered by an affiliated institute has not been recognised by the government as being equivalent to `PG diploma in sanitary inspector'.

The recognition is necessary because the diploma is mandatory for appointment of sanitary inspectors in the government service, the inquiry by TNSIC has revealed.

The fee for the one-year course is `45,000, but due to lack of government approval, students have been forced to move high court, TNSIC noted. It has asked the registrar to examine if the institute offering this course comes under the category of `franchise institution' which has been banned by UGC.

The case came up after the applicant, MP Gopinath, filed RTIs with MKU seeking information relating to Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) institute, Kodaikanal, affiliated to MKU. He had sought details about the recognition accorded to the PG diploma course in Environmental Sanitation Science offered by the institute, which was advertised as being equivalent to `PG diploma in Sanitary Inspector' course offered by Gandhigram Rural University.

The applicant was unhappy with the details provided in the RTI and approached the commission.

The documents provided by the university to TNSIC states that the institute was started in 2010-11, but wrote to the university in November 2012 that `students passing out from the institute were not able to get government jobs in the absence of `Certification of Equivalence.' In 2013, the certificate was issued by the registrar of MKU, TNSIC notes in its order on October 5. However, the board of studies asked the vice-chancellor to address the government.

MKU has sent a letter, while the WASH institute has sent two letters to the municipal administration department pressing for the equivalence certificate in 2014, TNSIC noted in its order.

"It is possible that the students were not aware that the government approval was necessary. They may have been misguided by the equivalence certificate issued by the registrar, which would have only facilitated further admissions. The WASH institute has published on its website an assurance that the course has been certified by the Madurai Kamaraj University," the info commissioner said in the order.

A writ petition has also been filed by the alumni of WASH institute with the Madras high court seeking a declaration that the course is equivalent to the diploma required for the post of sanitary inspectors. It was disposed by the high court, with a direction to the competent authorities to take appropriate steps.

TNSIC has directed MKU to provide copies of all correspondences within the university pertaining to the case to the RTI applicant free of cost.