The Admissions and Fee Regulatory Committee will finalise the fee structure for engineering courses within a week. The government plans to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court announcing the revised fee structure fixed by AFRC by April 24. On this date, the case on common fees for convenor and management quota seats will come up for hearing in the apex court.
The AFRC has been conducting a series of meetings with officials of the higher education department during the past week. The aim: To devise a uniform fee structure for convenor and management quota seats, as directed by the AP High Court on October 2011. At present, there is a variable fee structure for engineering courses fixed by AFRC. The fee is Rs 31,000 per annum for convenor quota seats and Rs 95,000 per annum for management quota seats.
This system has been challenged by the management of engineering colleges in the High Court. The latter quashed the categorisation of seats and the variable fees fixed for them by the AFRC. The HC further asked the government to devise a uniform fee for all the seats. Official sources said the AFRC plans to fix a uniform fee of Rs 38,000 per annum from this year — a substantial increase from the present fee of Rs 31,000.
However, the college managements are demanding a common fee ranging from Rs 55,000 to Rs 63,000 by averaging the existing fees for both the category seats fixed by AFRC. But the government is of the view that this will impose a heavy financial burden on students and parents, and will deprive poor students from pursuing engineering courses. The government intends to incorporate this issue in the affidavit to be submitted to the SC next week.