Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Engineering colleges seek increase in fee

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Managements of private self-financing engineering colleges which signed a seat-fee pact with the government last year have demanded a uniform fee of Rs.75,000 and a refundable deposit of Rs.1 lakh for all seats this year.

Alternatively, the managements have asked for a fee of Rs.60,000 (last year's government quota fee of Rs.35,000 plus the special fee of Rs.25,000 charged for management seats) in the 50 per cent government seats and Rs.75,000 to Rs.90,000 in the management quota seats. There will also be a refundable deposit of Rs.1 lakh.

If the government does not allow a fee increase, the managements will have to reconsider their offer to surrender 50 per cent seats to the government. This was stated here on Wednesday by the president of the Kerala Self-Financing Engineering Colleges Managements Association, A. Younus Kunhu, after talks with members of the cabinet sub-committee on self-financing colleges.

Health Minister Adoor Prakash told presspersons that the government would not compromise on the 50:50 seat split for PG medical courses and would move the Supreme Court on this matter, if need be.

Fee pattern of 2010

The president of the Kerala Catholic Engineering College Managements Association Monsignor Thomas Malakudy told presspersons that colleges under the association would follow the 2010 fee pattern for this year's admissions also.

The association is ready to consider cooperating with the government for next year's admissions, he said. The association had made it clear to the government that it strongly opposed cross-subsidisation of fee, he added.

Cut-off marks

Mr. Kunhu's association has also demanded that the government reduce the cut-off marks for lateral entry to B.Tech courses from the current 20 marks to 10 marks. Though there are about 6,000 lateral entry seats for B.Tech courses, only about 2,300 seats get filled because of the cut-off mark.

If this is reduced, 3,000 more students can be admitted through lateral entry, association secretary P.V. Vijayan said.

Education Minister Abdu Rabb told presspersons that the sub-committee would study the demands made by the managements and get back to them for further discussions.

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