The Hindu : Regulatory committee to fix fees

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 30, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Regulatory committee to fix fees

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore May 29. The Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to professional courses is being held in the State on Friday and Saturday without the Government determining the fee structure in the medical, dental, and engineering courses.

However, there is clarity and finality about the percentage of government and management seats in various cases. It will remain the same as announced on April 26 in the draft rules regarding the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Engineering, Medical, Dental, and Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy Courses Rules, 2003.

The State Cabinet, which met here on Thursday, decided to constitute a fee regulatory committee in the case of unaided institutions after withdrawing the fee structure announced by the Government on April 26 under the draft rules. The question of fees is thus left open and is expected to be decided upon by the time the CET Cell takes up counselling for admission.

The meeting substituted Rule 18 of the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Engineering, Medical, Dental, and Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy Rules, 2003. Under the original rule, the Government had fixed the fees in government, university, regional colleges, aided, unaided, and minority private colleges. There was a separate fee structure for students from outside Karnataka.

The Cabinet has not fixed a time limit for the Fee Regulatory Committee to fix the fees. However, the Minister for Information and Cabinet spokesman, Kagodu Thimmappa, indicated that the fee structure would be finalised by the time the admissions begin in mid-July. The new Rule 18 has been inserted in the wake of the objections filed by the private college managements to the draft rules and the guidelines issued by the Union Government exercising its powers under the Concurrent List of the Constitution with regard to Education.

The Government has reserved the right to modify the recommendations of the committee (in respect of unaided institutions). However, it will fix the fees for government and university colleges and aided institutions through a notification.

The Fee Regulatory Committee for unaided professional colleges will be taking into consideration the social aspects of SC/ST, OBCs, rural, and other economically weaker sections and all other relevant factors, including the suggestions of the managements. "The managements while proposing the tuition fee shall ensure that it is reasonable and fair without any element of profiteering and otherwise in compliance with the decision of the Supreme Court in the T.M.A. Pai Foundation and others vs. the State of Karnataka and others." The committee has been asked to ensure that the private managements made adequate provision for providing financial assistance to Category I of government seats.

The Cabinet approved the ratio of government and managements seats as laid down in the April 26 draft rules. The government quota will be all the sanctioned intake in government and university colleges; 95 per cent of intake in aided engineering colleges; 80 per cent of intake in aided Indian system of Medicine and Homoeopathy colleges; 75 per cent in unaided and linguistic minority medical, dental, engineering, and technology institutions out of which 50 per cent will be filled on the basis of merit-cum-reservation, 25 per cent merit-cum-higher payment of which 15 per cent shall be filled by candidates within Karnataka and 10 per cent by candidates from outside Karnataka; 30 per cent of intake in unaided Indian system of Medicine and Homoeopathy colleges and 50 per cent of intake in religious minority colleges of which 25 per cent shall be merit-cum-reservation seats and 25 per cent will be candidates from within Karnataka on merit-cum-higher payment basis.

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