Engineering college fee to burn hole in pockets

Engineering college fee to burn hole in pockets

Source : The Times of India

HYDERABAD: If you are dreaming of getting into a top-notch engineering college in the state, then be prepared as a seat in these institutions will cost you a bomb this year. Eamcet counselling will start on August 30.

The state government has finally fixed engineering first-year fee of 645 out of 717 engineering colleges in the state by issuing a 36-page notification containing five GOs late on Saturday night. According to the notification, a seat in 67 top tech colleges, most of them on city suburbs, is going to cost anywhere between Rs 51,800 and Rs 1.05 lakh.

As per the GO, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Science (CBIT) will have the highest fee structure of Rs 1.05 lakh, Vasavi Engineering College, Ibrahimpatnam Rs 98,700, VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology 88,900 and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology Rs 84,600.

Other colleges which would have high fee structure include Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Science, Warangal (Rs 95,000), Muffakam Jah College of Engineering and Technology, Banjara Hills (Rs 83,600) and MVSR Engineering College, Nadergul, Ranga Reddy district (Rs 82,400).

The new fee structure is the fallout of a Supreme Court order, which allows hike in fee to compensate for teachers' salaries paid as per the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The GO, however, states that if colleges are found not paying salaries as per the Sixth Pay Commission, the fee would be cut and legal action would be taken against institutions as per the AICTE and state government norms.

The high fee in top engineering colleges might be reduced starting next year as a Supreme Court order states that the burden of fee, which is brought about by the Pay Commission's salary recommendations, would have to be borne by the first-year students who take admission starting from the academic year 2012-13.

The GO has fixed a fee of Rs 35,000 for 578 engineering colleges which submitted undertakings to the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC) and the principal secretary, higher education's office accepting the earlier agreement on fee structure.

The state has also fixed fee for B-Phamacy, Pharma D and B Arch courses. For five colleges offering B Pharmacy, the fee would be in the range of Rs 62,600 and Rs 91,700, highest being the fee of Sultan-Ul-Uloom College of Pharmacy. As per the order, 74 B-pharmacy colleges would have to collect fee of Rs 31,000 and 162 colleges Rs 35,000. Pharma-D colleges would have a fee of Rs 68,000 and two B Arch colleges Rs 35,000.

The state government issued the GO late on Saturday (August 25), the date stipulated by theHigh Court to fix fee of colleges. However, with some colleges being allowed manifold hike, the state government has decided to crackdown on management quota admission. At a meeting held here on Sunday, the state government has decided to appoint overseeing officers to review admissions made under management quota (B category).

"Now that the fee has been hiked and both convener and management quota seats have the same fee, there will be strict monitoring of admissions into B category seats. Colleges will not be allowed to charge capitation fee. And, institutions, which are found to have made illegal admissions not following Eamcet merit list, will be penalised by booking police cases against the managements for fraud," higher and technical education minister Damodar Raja Narasimha said at a media briefing on Sunday.

The college managements, however, stated that there were several irregularities in the GOs. "Some colleges have an order from the High Court fixing their fee at Rs 50,200. If the government allows this fee structure for these colleges, we will withdraw our affidavits submitted to AFRC and demand higher fee," said Ramesh Nimatoori, president of engineering and professional college managements' association.

About 72 colleges had approached court seeking fee of Rs 50,200. The state government is likely to appeal against the HC order on Monday. The decision on how much the government will reimburse under the fee reimbursement scheme is expected to be decided on Monday

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