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Plan panel approves proposal to raise fee for higher education

NEW DELHI: Despite opposition from the Human Resource Development Ministry and Vice-Chancellors, the Planning Commission has approved a proposal to increase fee for higher education to cover at least 20 per cent of the operational costs.

The draft of XI Five Year Plan clearly states, “Given the limitations on public funds to subsidise higher education, it is necessary to encourage public universities to charge at least 20 per cent of the operational costs of education.” The level may be reached gradually over time.

This runs contrary to the position the Vice-Chancellors took less than a month ago at a meeting organised by the Ministry to elicit their views on the recommendations made by the Planning Commission and the National Knowledge Commission, which too had suggested fee increase in universities to meet at least 20 per cent of their total expenditure.

The Planning Commission said there was ample evidence that the majority of students had the capacity to pay for higher education. For those who could not pay, there should be “skill development.”

The Vice-Chancellors said “cost recovery from students is already very high.”

The dominant view among them is that as the government thrust in XI Plan is to increase the gross enrolment ratio to 15 per cent, a fee hike will be counter-productive.

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