JOIN USKarnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges' Association (KUPECA) will approach Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding their demand to increase fees for government quota seats in private engineering colleges by at least 10% in the 2017-18 academic year.
On Monday, the association held a meeting with Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy to discuss their demand.
However, according to sources, the minister rejected the demand saying that they could not increase the fee because of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state in 2018. Rayareddy said that increasing the fee would affect the ruling party adversely in the elections, hence the existing fee should continue.
Representatives of the colleges say that expenses such as maintenance and salaries of professors have gone up and course fee should increase, as a result.
“Discussions with the higher education minister have not been fruitful, so we want to approach the chief minister. We have asked for a meeting with him,” said M K Panduranga Setty, secretary, KUPECA.
In 2016-17, the course fee in government engineering colleges for architecture, civil, computer science, electronics, electrical, information science and mechanical was Rs 18,500.
Fee for government quota seats in private colleges was fixed between Rs 49,500 and Rs 55,000.