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This is the time of the year when senior officials (I would call them sharks) of so-called ‘leading universities’ in India visit the Gulf to lure students to their institutions, and I am writing this as a warning to parents before they shell out huge amounts of money for admission.
I will narrate my story here. Four years ago, the director, international relations, of a Amrita University, Ettimadi, Coimbatore, India, which has campuses in Kerala and Karnataka, visited Muscat scouting for students. I met him at an Indian school in Dubai and paid the Rs 700, 000 he demanded for my son’s admission in the university’s engineering (IT branch) college.
Initially, I was reluctant to pay such a big sum, but he said: ‘You
have to decide fast, because there are hundreds in the queue’. He also boasted that ‘not a single student who graduated from our university remains unemployed’, and listed the names all the top IT companies who visited his university for on-campus recruitment every year.
Ultimately, because I had no other option at the time, I paid. I am repenting now. For so many reasons.
First, this ‘great’ university has discontinued its IT course! So much for campus selection.
Second, I found out that the teaching standards are sub-standard, to say the least. Most of the teachers are fresh engineering graduates without any experience and don’t even speak correct English (forget about good English). Half the time they conduct classes in Tamil. Any student who dares to request a clarification is insulted in front of the entire class. Once during a visit there, I mentioned this to this gentleman, the Director, International Relations. His answer was: ‘Well, you bring good teachers, we are prepared to pay them Rs100, 000 a month… We are trying, but we don’t get properly qualified teachers!’
Third, the atmosphere on the campus is oppressive. The teaching staff and administration officials misbehave with students for the slightest of reasons. They insult and abuse students openly, totally demoralising them. In fact, students are scared of the staff and don’t speak out openly.
Fourth, the conditions in the hostels are deplorable, particularly in relation to food served to inmates. Most students are forced to eat at the canteens within the campus, paying exorbitant prices. The parents, thus, end up paying the mess fees plus the canteen expenses!
After my visit to the university, I discovered that this is a very cleverly planned trick, in the sense that the university makes huge profits from leasing out the canteens. I counted at least four sprawling canteens, all crowded all the time, and two more were under construction. Thus the reason for the poor quality food in the hostel mess becomes obvious.
I write this letter to caution parents to be vigilant. Please do not pay any money unless and until you make your own investigations about the university/college where you are planning to admit your children. Don’t be duped by the big-name institutions.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Just to read the complaints about Amrita University, Ettimadai, after several friends told me about them. My friend's daughter, a brilliant student, had a very bad experience from one of her teachers at Ettimadai recently. This young guy tried to be a little too 'friendly' with her which she promptly rejected. The result - she was failed in the subject he is teaching. Now the poor girl has to re-sit the exam! Can anyone believe this happening in an institution that belongs to Mata Amritanda Mayi? I hear that teachers failing students in exams because of personal likes and dislikes are quite common at Amrita. What a pathetic situation.
I agree entirely with the complainant. In fact, I would request all parents and students with similar experiences with Amrita University, Ettimadai, to come out openy through this column. By doing so, they would be providing a big help by warning parents who have plans to admit their children at the university. I regularly hear about intimidations and verbal abuses students are subjected to there. So far, the management has succeeded in keeping a tight lid on these happenings with the result that the outside does not know the real picture. And mind you, all this after squeezing every rupee from parents by way of capitation fee, huge tuition and hostel fees and other charges.
Yeah, some of those bigwigs, who call themselves deans, vice-presidents, student welfare director, etc. are real monsters. They shout, scream and howl at students who approach them for assistance, that too in the presence of dozens of other students and staff. In fact, they behave like illiterate savages towards students, totally demoralising them.
One must see how these guys live - in palatial houses within the campus will all the paraphrenalia - housemaids, gardeners and cooks - all at university expense, of course paid for by parents of students. Compare this with the bad food and lousy accommodation that the students are given in hostels.
One cannot help but wonder: Does the Amma know the goings-on at her institutions. I doubt it. I think she has been kept in in the dark, while these shylocks enjoy life to the hilt. In the name of Amma they are taking parents and students for a ride. I hear that she is basically a very nice person and sympasthetic towards children and the downtrodden. I hope someone conveys to her the true happenings in her educational institutions.
Am a student, from the ettimadai campus and i agree most of what's been said :
Food :
1. Hostel food sucks (taste our Idly s, you ll get the idea)
(Note : Only Vegetarian diet inside the university )
2.Canteen food ? Sub-standard, extremely over priced.(Try our 'schezwan noodles' - you can see a puddle of oil on your plate)
Staff:
1.The teaching staff, yes, most of them are fresh (n average) graduates. But there are some really good faculty too, though...best brains, experienced and really knowledgeable.(But are far removed from the students, bad teachers are only alloted to us)
2.From my experiences, the teaching staff are well-behaved towards students.
3.But those at the higher posts, like the Prof of Students "Welfare" (WTF!) and the Dean, do not show an ounce of respect towards a student.Ask anyone who has gone to them with a grievance, they will tell you. These fellows are incapable of empathy, and need lessons on behaving decently.(They yell, scream, do not offer you a seat, do not allow you to speak, do not listen to you when you manage to speak -just to quote a few examples). Completely contradictory to the stated mission of the university.
Academically, Good on the whole. Great Labs . Nice opportunities to advance yourself technically. Some great faculty.
Cool swimming pool, too.
They are a bunch of thieving businessmen, too.