Amid the fee hike in government engineering colleges in Karnataka, students and student-led associations have started a protest demanding rollback of the annual hike, demanding an increase in the scholarship amount. The All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO) held a protest in Mysore in this regard.
District President Subhash AIDSO told EdexLive that this year’s fee hike was without prior notification. EdexLive had earlier reported that the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) 2022-23 fee structure for Engineering and Architecture courses in government institutes is as follows:
SNQ Category: Rs 21,700/-
SC/ST (income up to Rs 2.50 lakh): Rs 500/-
SC/ST (income upto 10.00 lakhs): 21,700/-
CAT-1 Income below Rs 2.5 lakh: Rs 21,700/-
That’s the document EdexLive Regarding the fee structure for 2021-22, he pointed out that increases of Rs 18,220, Rs 500, Rs 18,220 and Rs 18,220 have been made. Also, according to reports, Karnataka Higher Education Minister CN Ashwathnarayan announced a 10 percent increase in BTech fees. However, Karnataka private engineering fees remained unchanged.
A student said EdexLive on condition of anonymity his family had to pay 38,000 rupees for his fees this year. “My father is a carpenter and my mother is a seamstress. It was difficult for us to pay that amount. Also, the scholarship amount for SC/ST students remains unchanged at just Rs 18,000,” he said.
“On the one hand, students are facing an unprecedented economic crisis; on the other hand, the government is constantly increasing the fees or reducing the amount of the scholarship. This has led to a gradual reduction in the number of students who choose higher education. If the government’s Engineering fees continue to increase every year, the middle class and thousands of students from poor middle-class families have to abandon their dream of becoming engineers,” AIDSO read. The student-led association plans to protest the fee hike across the state.
It is not an isolated case
The issue of fee hike has affected several universities across the country. The Health Reform Doctors Association (HRDA) on 6 December 2022 registered a complaint against excessive fees of up to Rs 50,000 being charged in the name of laboratory, library and sports fees. These are being charged excessively by private medical colleges in Telangana and it goes against the fees set by the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Commission (TAFRC), according to a complaint filed by medical associations, a report said. New Indian Express.
