coimbatore the directorate of technical education dote after its meeting with the members of the regional and state flying squads has ordered them to inspect all selffinancing polytechnic colleges in the state before the conduct of the semester practical exams the flying squads will have to give the colleges clearance to conduct the exams scheduled to begin on september 25 the move comes after the states apex body on technical education received complaints about malpractices during semester practical examinations in polytechnic colleges following this dote called for a meeting with all the regional and state flying squad members to discuss the matter according to a source who was part of the meeting held on september 16 issues like lack of external examiners inadequacy of laboratory equipment and pressure from the management of selffinancing institutions to produce better results emerged as the reasons for colleges to have been involved in malpractices in the cases that we have witnessed in the recent past we have seen that most selffinancing colleges fail to abide by the all india council for technical education aicte norms for conducting practical exams said the source members of the flying squads had pointed out that the unavailability of experienced faculty for performing the job of an external examiner turned out to be one of the major reasons as there are practical exams organized simultaneously at all colleges there is difficulty to find faculty for the job of an external examiner it was seen in some cases that there was a faculty invited as an external examiner in the record but the person had actually not turned up said a flying squad member this is done on purpose and the students take advantage of the situation and indulge in malpractices said the professor a member of a regional flying squad said the heads of all local flying squads are requested to complete the first preexam inspection of the institutions top priority to selffinancing institutions and submit the report to the regional officer the official added based on the report submitted by the local squads the colleges will be given fitness certificate terming the institution fit to conduct semester practical examination if the squads identify discrepancies in any institution fitness certificate will be issued only after all the discrepancies are rectified and verified by the local squads during the second verification process