State warns colleges against overcharging students with fee

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

The Department of Higher and Technical Education has directed all private and unaided professional colleges in the state not to collect full course fees from students eligible for government scholarships. It issued a government circular on August 12, stating that educational institutions must deduct the scholarship amount sanctioned by the government while charging tuition and other fees. Colleges have been warned of strict legal action under Section 20 of the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, if they fail to comply. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)
Colleges have been warned of strict legal action under Section 20 of the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015, if they fail to comply.
As per the directive, students admitted under the centralised admission process conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education and state CET Cell who are eligible for scholarships through schemes available on the MahaDBT portal, should only be charged the remaining balance after accounting for the government-sanctioned amount.
'Colleges have been instructed not to collect the entire fee from such students, as it violates both legal provisions and the purpose of the scholarship schemes,' an education department official.
The move comes in response to an increasing number of complaints received by the department, where several institutions were allegedly found demanding full fees from scholarship beneficiaries, despite their eligibility for fee waivers or reimbursements.
'It has been observed that certain institutions are charging more than the fee approved by the Fee Regulatory Authority. Such acts amount to profiteering and will be treated as a punishable offence,' the official said.
To ensure transparency, colleges have also been instructed to clearly display the approved course-wise fee structure on their official website and notice board in both Marathi and English. They are also barred from collecting fees beyond the current academic year.
Institutions found violating the rules will face punitive action for 'profiteering', a term the law strictly prohibits in the context of educational services.
To facilitate reporting of violations, the CET Cell will soon publish helpline numbers and a complaint portal on its official website.