Meeting on fee impasse tomorrow

For the first time in several years, negotiations between the State government and private colleges have become acrimonious after both sides refused to budge from their stated fee.

While the State government has pushed for Rs 30,000 fee, the private colleges are demanding Rs 50,000. Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association (KUPECA) President Pandurang Shetty said there was no change in the stance of private colleges.

“We are still demanding a fee of Rs 50,000 for seats in the CET quota”, he said.

The private colleges are accusing the State of playing hardball, with one section of the private colleges led by former MP R L Jalappa threatening to go to court. These colleges contend that the process of consensual agreement is illegal as a fee fixation committee headed by former Supreme Court judge B Padmaraj has already fixed the fees.

But the Government has kept the report in a sealed cover as a negotiating tactic. Barring the top five engineering colleges, most colleges receive no students under Comed-K quota, and get all their students from CET. The colleges are arguing that with the implementation of the sixth pay commission, a hike in the student fee is imperative.