Private colleges reject Karnataka fee hike

Private colleges have rejected the Karnataka government's latest rules on admissions to professional courses despite a fee hike, and threatened to take the issue back to the Supreme Court.

The state cabinet decided yesterday to part with only 10 per cent more seats to the private medical and engineering colleges while increasing the fees for students from outside Karnataka by Rs100,000 per annum in medical colleges and by Rs23,000 for engineering courses.

The decision, based on the report of the cabinet subcommittee, has raised the hackles of the private colleges which have threatened to take the issue back to the Supreme Court and, worse still, have plans to issue advertisements calling for admissions.

The government has remained firm. "We have increased the private management quota from 15 to 25 per cent as well as increased the fees by Rs100,000 for students from outside Karnataka in medical colleges. There is no reason why they should be unhappy," D.B. Chandre Gowda, Law Minister, told a news conference after the cabinet meeting.

But, R.L. Jalappa, a Member of Parliament and spokesman for the medical college private managements association, said: "We will go back to the court and also advertise to begin admissions. This is completely contrary to the Supreme Court's verdict of last year."

The court in the Unnikrishnan case had struck down the concept that funding the education of meritorious students by less meritorious students was "unconstitutional".

"But, the government decides now to go against the court's verdict," Jalappa said.

The cabinet approved its sub-committee's report that agreed to share the seats in professional colleges with private managements on a 50:50 basis. But, in the 50 per cent quota of the private managements, it has allocated 15 per cent as payment seats for Karnataka students.

It has created a new category of 10 per cent for non-Karnataka students, all of whom will be selected through the Central Entrance Test (CET) (conducted by the government).

In the remaining 25 per cent, the colleges have been permitted to admit students of their choice with no ceiling on the fees to be charged.

Students seeking admission to government and aided medical colleges would continue to pay Rs16,200 per annum.

Karnataka students who get admission under the payment seat quota will pay Rs122,000 against the current Rs110,000. Students from outside Karnataka will pay Rs207,000 as against the current Rs110,000.

For engineering courses, the fee remains the same at Rs8,590 for merit students in government colleges, and for merit students in government aided institutions it would remain at Rs12,590. But, in the payment category, the fees would go up from Rs47,590 to Rs76,590.

In dental colleges, merit students as well as Karnataka students will pay Rs13,900 per annum.

The payment category students will pay Rs147,000.

"The rules under the Capitation Fee Abolition Act will be amended and a government order will be issued shortly. If necessary, we will issue an ordinance," Chandre Gowda said.

The cabinet sub-committee submitted its report to the cabinet after its talks with the association of private managements failed on seat sharing and fee structure in medical colleges.

The government wanted to protect the interests of the socially deprived sections after the Supreme Court order of last year said that the government can only fix a rational fee structure for professional education.

The private colleges had agreed to hold talks because there are a number of their institutions which were dependent upon the government for seat allocation.

Last week, the private colleges had announced a ceiling of Rs300,000 for payment seats in medical colleges and Rs50,000 for government (or merit) seats. For dental courses, the fee was Rs40,000 under government quota and Rs200,000 for the open as well as management quota.

In engineering courses, the managements had fixed a fee of Rs20,000 under the government quota and a ceiling of Rs60,000 for all other categories. "On an average in a medical college, one student would pay Rs62,800 that is totally inadequate to run a medical college.

"To cross subsidise, we would need to charge over Rs440,000 under the payment category. And, if we charge anything more than Rs250,000, we will not get students," Jalappa said.