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| Friday, May 23, 2008
Engineering fee structure report soon
- It will be released before varsity closes
applications for this year’s B.E. admissions
Chennai: The Justice Balasubramanian Committee’s report
on the fee structure of engineering colleges in the State will
be released before Anna University closes applications for this
year’s B.E. admissions on May 31, according to Higher
Education Secretary K. Ganesan. He is the government representative
on the committee.
Prior to the release of the report, Higher Education Minister
K. Ponmudy convened an informal consultation to solicit the
views of the government’s allied parties on the issue.
At the meeting held on Tuesday, most political parties expressed
their opposition to any hike in fees or any change in the 65:35
ratio of government to management quotas at self-financing engineering
colleges, according to several people who attended the meeting.
Students Federation of India secretary G. Selva, who attended
the meeting as the CPI (M) representative, said that the Minister
had told them of the demand of self-financing engineering colleges
to change the quota to 50:50. The managements of these colleges
also want the Rs. 32,500 annual fee now charged for government
quota seats in non-accredited courses to be raised to Rs. 40,000,
and the Rs. 40,000 fee for accredited courses to be raised to
Rs. 50,000, he said.
Currently, the fee for management quota seats is the same as
that for government quota. College owners want that hiked to
match the fees charged in neighbouring States, ranging from
Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 1.25 lakh, according to sources who attended
the meeting.
Several party representatives pointed out that neighbouring
States have a different ratio of management quota seats and
also have lower fees for government quota seats.
While most of the parties were opposed to any change in the
ratio, a few reportedly suggested that they may be agreeable
to a modest hike in the fees of the management quota seats alone.
A couple of them also suggested that when the Sixth Pay Commission
recommendations are released next year, the issue of fee hike
could be considered.
The meeting reportedly discussed the danger of the self-financing
colleges going to court over the issue. An earlier High Court
judgment permitting them to control admissions to all their
seats was a weapon in their hands, admitted a government source.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi plans to organise continuous protests
at collectorates across the State demanding a reduction in fees
for government quota seats and a commitment that fees will not
be raised by even a single paisa. According to a press release,
the party also wants the State government to ensure that self-financing
colleges collect only the prescribed fees and that communal
reservation quotas are enforced. The PMK also demanded that
colleges without sufficient infrastructure or faculty be de-recognised.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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