Unaided professional colleges retooling fee structure

Unaided professional colleges, which will have the liberty to fix their own fees from the next academic year, have begun framing the revised fee structure.

The State government recently constituted a Fee Regulatory Committee as per the Karnataka Professional Educational Institution (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Act, 2006. Colleges have to submit their proposed fees by December 31.

This implies that students are likely to pay more for professional courses from next year as there will be no bifurcation in Comed-K and KEA fees.  This will apply for all unaided colleges offering medical, engineering and allied courses. The fees will be specific to each college. Former judge of the Karnataka High Court Justice Ajit J Gunjal has been appointed chairperson of the Fee Regulatory Committee. No person related to any private management is allowed to be part of this committee.

In a circular issued by the government, colleges have been asked to furnish the details of audited accounts along with details of income and expenditure. Colleges will be giving details of the last three years. The factors affecting the fee structure would be: The location of the college, the nature of the course, the infrastructure, the administration expenses and maintenance costs and a reasonable surplus for growth of the institution, among others. The fee fixed now will be valid for the next three years. 

M K Panduranga Setty, Secretary, Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association, said they had directed all the colleges under the association to frame the proposal as per the provision of the Act by ensuring that the fee remains fair to students. “We have issued directions about how to work out the costs. We have to consider the promotions and increments given to the staff, the expenses that are likely to go up in the three-year period and then arrive at a cost,” Setty said.

Principal of a City engineering college said the colleges were doing a balancing act. “Until now, we have been charging up to Rs 50,000, including all fees. The Comed-K fees was more than Rs one lakh. We will have to evolve a fee which is something in between. In case the fee goes up to Rs one lakh, those who were banking on the government fee till now, will not join,” he said, adding that the Rs one lakh figure was hypothetical.

Clarity on CET

The Act also specifies for a State Common Entrance Test Committee. “Unaided colleges have a choice to decide whether or not to conduct the entrance test. The KEA will, of course, hold entrance test for aided and government colleges,” said Higher Education Secretary Rajneesh Goel.

The entrance test conducted for the unaided colleges will be at the national level. As much as 50 per cent of the seats will be reserved for SC/ST and OBC students (of Karnataka only) and 15 per cent for NRI students.

More clarity on who will conduct the exam will emerge in a meeting with the college managements on December 16, Goel said.