Journalism of Courage
A former student of Wigan and Leigh College (WLC) has moved the District Consumer Court,demanding a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for its reported failure to conduct lectures for the first-year mass media course in 2007-08.
Karishma Kanaga,resident of Koregaon Park,had taken admission to the colleges BA (honours) in mass media (the course was discontinued later). I paid more than Rs 1 lakh for my daughters admission, said V V Kanaga,Karishmas father. However,Karishma complained that the college did not conduct lectures on most days. The college authorities used to SMS the students in the morning to convey that the lectures have been cancelled, he said.
Kanaga alleged that the college failed to complete even 10 per cent of the first semester syllabus. Kanaga filed a complaint against WLC with the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in January. I have demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh because my daughter lost one year, he said.
I opted for WLC because it was the only college in Pune that offered an undergraduate course in mass media. After the WLC fiasco,I shifted her to L S Raheja College of Arts and Commerce in Mumbai in June 2008 for its bachelor of mass media course, Kanaga said.
Shirin Mehta,head of WLC,said she was not aware of the case. She said no one from the college had received a summons .
Sudhakar Velankar,trustee of Grahak Hitvardhini,representing Kanaga,said: The colleges lawyer appeared for the last hearing on December 19. The next hearing is on January 20.
