MUMBAI: For the first-time ever, engineering students are taking their fight against fee hikes to the Supreme Court-appointed Shikshan Shulka Samiti.
Based on the proposal submitted by the managements of private unaided engineering colleges, the Samiti had revised the fee structure. However, students opposing the revision claim that the information provided by the college officials was “faulty” and failed to provide a clear justification for the revised fee structure.
Students of two private engineering college recently submitted a report that states that the proposed fee hike is over an above the colleges’ expenditure.
“We have pointed out the bad condition of these colleges to the Samiti and have urged them to rethink their decision to revise fees,” says Amit Vaidya, a student and member of the Mumbai division of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
“We have also asked the committee to conduct inspections of the colleges and scrutinise their expenditure based on which they charge exorbitant fees.” Students say that colleges such as the All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society’s College of Engineering in Pune, College of Engineering in Pandharpur and Maharashtra Academy of Engineering in Pune, are charging excessive fees.
IA Kundan, office secretary of the Shikshan Shulka Samiti and Pravesh Niyantran Samiti, says there are plans afoot to display proposals of engineering colleges providing details such as the availability of infrastructure, teaching strength and expenditure on its upcoming website.
“This will provide students with detailed information,” he explains. “If a student challenges the proposed details, an independent inquiry will be conducted by the committee verifying the details.”
