Fee cut in pvt. professionalcolleges rattles managements
The government has approved the suggestions made by the AP Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APHERMC) on fixation of fee for B. Tech, B. Arch, Marine Engineering and B. Pharmacy courses in private unaided professional institutes in the State for the block period 2020-21 to 2022-23.
A notification issued to this effect has left the stakeholders disconcerted. “It is shocking to say the least. The commission (APHERMC) has apparently not done proper home work,” said Nedurumalli Ram Kumar, president of AP Private Engineering Colleges Managements’ Association (APPECMA).
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ram Kumar referred to the drastic cut in the fee “without taking into consideration the high inflation rate” and said the commission should have taken into account a comprehensive picture of the scenario before arriving at a decision.
In 2019, he pointed out, the commission said it did not have sufficient time to make an in-depth study of all key aspects and had assured the government that it would address these shortfalls next year. “It has repeated the same thing this year too. The fee varies for different aspects. For instance, a student with multiple backlogs has to pay the examination fee. How do you calculate this on a uniform scale?” he said.
Speaking about the commission’s claim that the fee structure is based on the standard of education offered by the colleges, he said “a few colleges may not be doing well but many are competing with universities.”
Meet on Dec. 28
Rattled by the development, the association has called for a meeting on Monday (December 28) to chalk out its future course of action. “We need to sit with the commission and sort out certain key issues,” he said.
The government has clearly notified that the stipulated fee is an all-inclusive annual fee covering tuition fee, affiliation fee, cost of identity card, medical fee, inter college or inter university sports, games and cultural meet fee, computer-internet fee, college magazine and student activities, student health care scheme, student welfare fund, study tour, alumni fund, examination fee including stationery, maintenance and amenities fee, common services fee and other recurring expenditure. Warning against any deviation from the given d irections, it said the commission will initiate serious penal action against the institute concerned.
In the 240 private engineering colleges in the State, the minimum fee is fixed at ₹35,000 and increased for some based on the stature of the college.
For B. Arch courses offered by four colleges in the State, the minimum fee is ₹40,000 and maximum ₹70,000, for B. Tech Marine Engineering course, it is ₹1,25,000 and for B. Pharmacy courses, it starts from ₹ 35,000 and goes up depending on the standard of the institute.
