6 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Student outfits demand clarity on proposed 161 per cent of polytechnic fee hike
HYDERABAD: With the state government indicating that it plans to revise the annual fee for all diploma courses offered by private polytechnic colleges from Rs 14,900 to Rs 39,000, a whopping 161% increase, several student organisations submitted a memorandum on Wednesday, demanding clarity on the fee structure and an explanation on how the reimbursement will be done.
Some polytechnic aspirants said that the government, which cited unconfirmed fees as the reason for delaying seat allotments, must provide clarity on the same.
Just a day earlier, the first phase of seat allotment was conducted, in which 80,949 students had appeared, and only 28,996 seats were allotted.
The government had earlier announced that full fee reimbursement would be provided only to students with ranks below 1,000, while others would need to pay Rs 24,100. This move could effectively deter economically weaker students from pursuing vocational education, yet there has been no official clarification so far.
The Students' Federation of India (SFI) questioned how students could continue their education if such a steep fee hike is implemented.
They argued that if the government bears approximately Rs 70 crore annually, all students could have access to education. Although a GO was issued last year proposing the fee hike, no clarity has since been given on whether the new structure will be implemented.
It would be better if the state government provided clarity immediately; otherwise, the SFI is prepared to launch a statewide agitation, said S Rajnikanth, state president, SFI.
