The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Students concerned over hefty fees

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 04, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Students concerned over hefty fees

Staff Reporter

They seek role in decision-making

BANGALORE: "Students have no voice in decision-making. We have a say too, it is our money that is being spent." These words from a concerned medical seat aspirant outside the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell summed up the frustration of meritorious students, eligible but not financially capable of paying hefty fees.

Anxiety writ large over their faces, the students and their parents thronged the CET Cell. Among them was Jhanavi Y.P., a candidate whose 534th medical rank was a cause for tension.

"She had got 100 in mathematics, 98 in physics, 92 in chemistry. But this year, they are not even taking the pre-university marks into account. Otherwise, her CET rank would have been much better," rued the candidate and her parents.

Outside, about 100 activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) were shouting slogans against the Government and the increase in fee. Apparently scared to join them, the candidates lamented that they had no choice but to shell out the money fixed by the managements and the Government. Despite being the main stakeholders, they did not have a role there.

Amulya, with her CET medical rank of 1,100, was afraid to even think of a management quota seat. The fee for her was too high, but her parents were also worried about the "hidden charges."

Waiting for her turn at the CET Cell, she only hoped she would get a MBBS seat under concessional fee. "If not, I will have to opt for engineering. I had also taken the test for BPT," she said.

Standing beside her father, 718th medical rank holder Vishwashree had only the dental course in mind. Her father Vijay Raj had bought a demand draft for the MBBS seat under government quota. But a management quota medical seat was off limits for him. "Even upper middle class parents cannot afford the fees," said a parent Sanjana.

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