Fees In Government Engineering Colleges Have Been Increased In Karnataka

Students have criticized the sudden and unexpected approach by the Karnataka government to raise fees at state-run engineering colleges by Rs 10,000 starting in the current academic year, 2021-22, highlighting the financial hardship caused by Covid-19 and related restrictions. At an amended price structure for people pursuing engineering courses in state-run colleges, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) specified an additional Rs 10,000 as other costs in a recent letter. As a result, the total costs have increased to Rs 33,810.

The move was justified by top officials in the higher education department, who stated that fees at government engineering colleges had not been adjusted in several years. "As a result of this (without raising fees), the department was unable to obtain the necessary funding to update the classes and facilities available to our students." This was unavoidable, given the growing demand for improved labs and equipment. The decision was reached after extensive consideration, which resulted in delay of the release in the official notification.

The Karnataka government and private engineering colleges have agreed that fees will not be increased during the current academic year. The costs for engineering courses in private colleges would remain the unchanged for students who were admitted this year under the government quota. Higher Education Minister C N Ashwathnarayan announced in September that the fees would be split into two slabs of Rs 65,340 and Rs 58,806 each.

Student organisations have scheduled a protest in the following days to draw the attention of the government to the issue and seek that the fee hike be reversed. Hundreds of students have already contacted us, expressing their dissatisfaction. A senior leader of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) Karnataka stated that while Rs 10,000 may not seem like a large sum to those who made the decision, it may cause many students from middle-class families to drop out of school.

However, Karnataka secretary of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), Ajay Kamath, described the decision as 'anti-student and anti-education.' The government must immediately reverse the fee hike and restore the previous fee structure. He further added that it was issued prohibiting institutions from collecting additional fees for 'development purposes.