Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Fees in government-aided universities and colleges are set to rise by 20 per cent, with the reluctant Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry agreeing to the long-standing proposal for a revision mooted by the Planning Commission and other agencies, including the National Knowledge Commission.
Sources in the HRD ministry said the government will soon take a formal decision on this issue when the Planning Commission meeting on higher education — chaired by the Prime Minister — takes place later this month.
The implementation of the fee hike is expected to take place from next academic year.
The HRD ministry had opposed the proposal to hike fees arguing that higher education should not be made “unaffordable” for the poor. But after a recent round of meetings between Ministry officials, Planning Commission advisors and members, the Ministry was told that the Plan panel is expected to raise the fund allocation four to five times for the education sector in the Eleventh Plan.
To cushion the fee hike, the Ministry has, therefore, been asked to announce a range of scholarships, fellowships and loans. “With the Planning Commission increasing fees and suggesting a number of schemes for the poor and needy, the ministry had little to resist,” said a senior official.
The 20% hike was mooted by the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) in 2005 and was backed by the National Knowledge Commission in 2006.
