The decision to cap the fee reimbursement at Rs 35,000 for students pursuing engineering courses this year was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on fee reimbursement headed by minister for social welfare Pithani Satyanarayana at the Secretariat on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Speaking to the media later, Mr Satyanarayana justified the government’s decision and said that as the fee in most colleges had been fixed at Rs 35,000, it would not impact most students. “The fees are more than Rs 35,000 only in 67 colleges. Students who opt for seats in these colleges will have to bear the excess fees. The government will assist such students by providing interest-free loans from banks. We will take all steps to ensure that the interests of merit students are protected. We have referred the issue to the Chief Minister who will take a decision on this issue,” the minister said.
The government’s decision evoked sharp criticism from student organisations and BC, EBC, minority, SC and ST associations, who threatened to launch state-wide agitations from Wednesday demanding full fee reimbursement for all eligible students, irrespective of differential fees in engineering colleges.
They alleged that the government’s decision to cap the fee reimbursement would deprive students from socially and economically weaker sections of pursuing engineering in the best colleges and would force them to confine themselves in below-par colleges.