DTE report calls MET bogus edu institute

Nineteen students who enrolled for the second-year full-time MBA programme between 2010 and 2012 in the Maharashtra Education and Training (MET) corporate business school are finding themselves in academic and financial disarray as the institute -- operating in affiliation with Tamil Nadu's Alagappa University and UK's St John University -- is claimed to be bogus in a report released by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE).

The DTE, under its joint director D N Shingade, had last month ordered an inquiry on the credibility of the institute by forming a two-member committee after it received numerous complaints from students.

The students allege that since the admission prospectus mentioned that the college was affiliated to the Alagappa University in Tamil Nadu, they were made to study under MS University, which is a B graded university, and that the management had also promised them a curriculum comprising of management, entrepreneurship and leadership development programmes, an international and industry expert faculty, health programmes and semester internship, among other things, which were either annulled or were discontinued after the first semester.u00a0

"During admission, they told us they would be offering full-time regular degree course, but after enrolment, we were told that they were providing only distant education course. Since we have taken a loan of over two lakh rupees, we don't know how to reimburse the money," said Satyam Mali, a student.u00a0

The report states that since the foundation, which calls itself a trust, is not registered with the Charity Commissioner and since the prospectus (2010) for PG courses mentions that the B-school is affiliated to Alagappa University and St John's university in UK, Alagappa has recognised MET as a study centre only for three years from 2009.

MET had applied for Associate Centre of ICE College of Hotel Management, Navi Mumbai, to accept the admissions for MS university to conduct courses of Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education of MS university under distance mode. ICE has permitted MET to accept admissions and conduct programmes through its centre code.

The fees prescribed by the MS university through the MBA programme in distant mode are Rs 9,500 and Rs 341 as examination fees, but students registered for the programme were offered additional courses that cost them Rs 3.50 lakh and service tax at the rate of 10.3 per cent. The inquiry further revealed that since MET does not have service tax registration it could not charge any tax.

The committee further states that during inspection, MET did not provide important documents, including fee structure, list of students registered, list of faculty, fee receipts, acknowledgement of distribution of study material, audited financial statement, among others.

Confirming the credibility of the report, Shingade said, "We'll be sending the report to the state education department in Mantrayala, which will take further action against the institute."u00a0Activists from MNVS, who have been supporting the students, claimed that the institute even handed over fake marksheet to first-year students with St John University UK mentioned on it.u00a0

"The marksheet mentions second-year subjects, whichu00a0the students never appeared for," said Sagar Pawar, a member of MNVS who says the Hadapsar police refused to register a complaint against the institute.u00a0The other sideu00a0MET Director Anish Mahajan said, "These students flunked their exams and just want their money back. We have documented proof against themu00a0and will soon take action against all the allegations they have made."