Issuing a word of caution to the students seeking admission in the institutes offering education in the discipline of agricultural sciences, Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education (PSCAE) member secretary KS Pannu on Friday said that the Council would render degrees, diplomas and certificates of 107 educational institutions in the said discipline, invalid with effect from January 1, 2020.
Pannu informed that Punjab Government has set up the Council under the provisions of the Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education Act, 2017, empowering it to specify the minimum standards and guidelines for imparting agriculture education and training to be followed by Colleges and Universities in the state of Punjab.
Besides, it was mandated to regulate the agriculture education through grant of recognition to colleges, institutions or departments that meet the norms and standards to run the agriculture education programmes.
He said that as per the provisions of the Act, all the institutions running programmes related to agriculture education were to submit a status report with regard to affiliation, admission, curricula, staff etc to the council within 30 days and a compliance report within six months, so as to seek approval of council within two years from the date of commencement of this Act. The Act was notified on January 2, 2018.
“As many 25 institutes, offering education in the discipline of agricultural sciences, submitted the status report with regard to fulfilling the conditions as prescribed under the Act. However, it has been observed that these institutions do not fulfil the prescribed conditions. Therefore, if these institutes do not fulfil the conditions as prescribed under the Act till December 31, 2019, they will become liable for refusal to affiliate with the Council with effect from January 1, 2020,” he clarified.
Among the institutions are Shaheed Udham Singh College of Research and Technology, Tangori, Mohali; Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar; Punjab Degree College, Mehmuana campus, Faridkot; Khalsa College of Management and Technology, Amritsar; Mata Gujari College, Fategarh Sahib; Khalsa College, Amritsar’ Punjab Institute of Management and Technology, Khanna, Ludhiana; Khalsa College Patiala, Badungar road, Patiala; Chandigarh University, Mohali, among others.
Besides, there are 82 such institutions in the State that are offering education in the discipline of agricultural sciences but have not submitted the status report with regard to fulfilling the conditions as prescribed under this Act, despite notices in this regard, and therefore, these institutions have made themselves liable for refusal to affiliate with the Council with effect from January 1, 2020, he informed.
Pannu said that the students seeking admission for degree, diploma and certificate courses in agricultural education in these institutions are therefore cautioned that they may take admission in these institutions at their own risk and cost because non-affiliation or non-approval of these institutions, on account of failure to comply with provisions of this Act, shall render the degrees, diplomas or certificates issued by these institutions as invalid.