The Hindu : Kerala News : Resentment over Cusat move on MCA seats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 19, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Resentment over Cusat move on MCA seats

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, JULY 18. The decision of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) to allot the entire seats for the MCA programme at its Cochin University College of Engineering, Pulinkunnu, under the payment category has invited protests from students' organisations and parents.

The Syndicate meeting of the university held on Saturday gave the nod for admitting students to the programme from August 5 onwards. Those who seek admission to the seats available for MCA course at the Cochin University College of Engineering will have to pay a tuition fee of Rs. 22,000.

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has decided to oppose the decision to admit students as per the proposed fee structure. It said that the decision was against the Government decision that 50 per cent of the seats should be set aside for admitting students under the merit quota.

Many parents have expressed concern over the university move not to allocate merit seats for the programme. They said that students eligible for admission under the merit quota would be forced to pay higher fees if the university's decision was implemented.

The university decision that students and parents should give an affidavit at the time of counselling to abide by any ratification made by the Syndicate on the fee structure has also come in for criticism.

SFI protest

Our Staff Reporter writes from Thiruvananthapuram:

The SFI has questioned the validity of the university decision to enhance the fees for its engineering degree and MCA courses and to impose the same fee structure for merit and payment seats.

The State secretary of the SFI, T.V. Rajesh, has asked the Vice-Chancellor and the Cusat Syndicate to reconsider the decision that would lead to the surrender of the professional education sector before agencies bent on commercialising it.

Such a decision taken even after the enactment of legislation on the fee structure in professional institutions was nothing but a challenge thrown up before the people of the State and the rule of law, he said in a statement issued here today. Unless the decision to impose the same fee structure for both merit and payment seats was withdrawn, the consequences would be disastrous, the SFI warned.

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