The West Bengal Education Department on Tuesday directed all state-run and government-aided colleges and universities across the state to submit their audit reports within 30 days, while simultaneously ordering an immediate halt to the collection of 'students' union fees' — a practice that continued despite no elected student unions existing anywhere in the state's higher education system.

The Core Directive

A senior state education department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the order. 'Currently, there is no elected student union in any higher educational institution in the state. According to the rules, if there is no elected students' union in any state-run or state-aided college or university, no funds or fees can be collected from the students as the 'student union fee'. But exactly this had been going on in all such colleges and universities for so long,' the official said.

Institutions have been directed to not only stop the fee collection immediately but also to disclose in their audit reports the total funds gathered under this head — and specify how those funds were spent — during the period when no elected unions were in place.

Disciplinary Action on the Table

According to reports, the education department has cautioned college and university authorities that failure to submit audit reports within the 30-day deadline could invite disciplinary action under applicable rules. The warning signals that the current state government intends to enforce compliance rather than issue advisory notices without consequence.

Possibility of a Wider Financial Scam

Academic circles in West Bengal believe the audit exercise could expose a significant financial irregularity embedded within the state's higher education system. The concern is that once individual audit reports are compiled, they may collectively reveal a pattern of misappropriation — a prospect that carries particular weight given the state's recent history. The previous Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government was severely discredited by the multi-crore cash-for-school-job scam, which drew national attention and judicial scrutiny.

BJP Government's Broader Education Overhaul

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, assumed office, cleaning up the state's education sector has been a stated priority. Earlier this month, the state school education department announced revised rules for elections to governing body members in schools, aimed at removing political influence from these bodies.

Under the new framework, all governing body members will be inducted through an 'election-basis' process rather than the 'selection-basis' method practised under the previous TMC administration. The only exception is the post of governing body secretary, which by default goes to the headmaster or headmistress of the school concerned.

What Happens Next

The 30-day deadline sets a firm timeline for institutions to comply. If the audit reports reveal systematic misuse of student union fees — collected without legal basis — the findings could trigger formal investigations and accountability proceedings against individual institutions. The broader reform push in both school and higher education signals that the Adhikari government is framing education governance as a key political and administrative battleground ahead of future electoral cycles.