B Ed selection precedes applications

CHENNAI: This one will surely leave you wide-eyed.Just imagine how the final list of selected candidates for a degree programme could be prepared before the candidates had actually submitted their applications? That is what had happened during the admission to Bachelor of Education (B Ed) course offered under the Distance Education Programme at the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli last year.The documents available with Express reveal that the bogus list of selected candidates, duly signed by university officials on November 18, 2010, even had interview marks with ranks of the selected candidates. But, the candidates submitted their applications only in December, pointing to the arbitrary selection.The documents also reveal that then Vice-Chancellor R T Sabapathy Mohan, a close aide of then Higher Education minister K Ponmudy, personally handed over the application forms of some of the candidates (as mentioned in documents in green ink) after the list was prepared.The marking in green ink mentioned “V-C sir gave in person”, highlighting his personal interest.“The illegality is just the tip of the iceberg,” said R Ramesh, the newly-appointed Director of Distance Education in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, who played a major role in exposing the scam. Higher Education Secretary, R Kannan, and Law Secretary, R Kathirvel, had appointed Ramesh after a surprise visit to the university recently.According to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Teaching and Administrative Staff Welfare Association, money changed hands in a big way for admitting 500 candidates. The association also alleged that `1 lakh might have been collected for each B Ed seat. Most of the candidates selected were from Villupuram, Chidambaram and Chennai region.Interestingly, the entire admission for B Ed course was in violation of Tamil Nadu Collegiate norms. As per norms, Tamil branch should have only 25 seats.But, the then Vice-Chancellor followed a different norm by allocating 376 seats (75.2 per cent), said Ramesh.Similarly, Mathematics should have about 20 percent (100 seats) of the allocated seats, but then Vice- Chancellor Sabapathy Mohan allocated a mere 2.8 percent (14 seats).The same applied to other streams also.Ramesh said, “Many of the candidates obtained experience certificates from a matriculation school, instead of getting it signed by a chief educational officer and no entrance test was conducted for candidate selection.Ramesh said more malpractices would come to light if a vigilance inquiry was carried out, since there had been several allegations against Mohan.