An Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee has been formed to assess whether the fees for various professional courses, including medical and engineering, in the state’s private higher education institutions are in accordance with established standards. According to regulations, the committee is required to revise fees every three years, but 12 chairpersons of the committee have changed, yet the fees have not been finalized.
This situation comes despite allegations of arbitrary fees from students studying in these institutions. Disputes often arise regarding the fees charged for professional courses in the state’s private higher education institutions. While private institutions claim low fees, students often complain of high fees.
Fees have not been fixed in accordance with standards. They also complain that the institutions lack the necessary facilities to justify the fees charged. Consequently, the government has formed the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee. The committee is chaired by a retired judge nominated by the Chief Justice of the High Court, while the Secretary of Medical Education, Secretary of Technical Education, and Secretary of Justice are members.
Additionally, a retired official not below the rank of Secretary nominated by the state government, a former Vice-Chancellor of a State University nominated by the Governor, and two eminent academics nominated by the State Government are its members.
A chartered accountant is nominated by the Chairman of the Committee. According to department officials, the committee has never met its quorum. This is why fees have not been set according to established standards.
