Colleges In West Bengal Shall No Longer Retain Original Certificates Of Students, Says State Education Minister 

After giving a nod to the notification issued by University Grants Commission (UGC), West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee announced that educational institutes in West Bengal cannot retain the original certificates of students who apply in various courses.

“We have instructed that Higher Education Institutions (HEI) cannot retain the original mark sheets of a student. Regarding the UGC notification relating to the prospectus, I will have to see the details and then decide,” Chatterjee said, reports The Indian Express.

As every institute does not publish a prospectus and rather puts it up on their websites, the minister said he will see the details and decide later.

As per the notification by UGC, no HEI can demand the submission of any original academic and personal certificates like marksheets and school leaving certificates at the time of admission. They can ask for them for verification purposes but will have to return it immediately.

There is a provision of refund of fees in case a student withdraws from the programme and it has been mentioned on the notice that no HEI can force them to purchase the institute’s prospectus. The choice of purchase will be entirely the choice of the applicant.