AICTE asks states to increase engg course fee, TN colleges seek 50% hike
TNN | Feb 10, 2020, 01.22 PM IST
CHENNAI: With more than 500 engineering colleges in the state awaiting revision of fee in 2020-21 after a gap of three years, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has urged state governments and fee committees to consider hiking fee for engineering and other technical courses to meet the pay revision mandated for faculty members by the council.
The colleges want fee to be hiked by at least 50% from the next academic year.
In a recent letter to all state governments, AICTE member-secretary Rajiv Kumar has urged them to direct state admission and fee regulation committees to take into account the sixth and seventh pay commission notifications and other parameters while fixing the fee.
The council had received complaints that technical institutions fail to pay their faculty members salary stipulated by the pay panels.
“Most of the members have claimed that they are unable to comply with the AICTE’s directions due to the (quantum of) tuition fee fixed by state fee regulation committees,” Rajiv Kumar said, adding that fee reimbursement from governments for SC/ST students also gets delayed.
“In the absence of reasonable fee, colleges have difficulty in maintaining standards and paying salaries to their faculty,” he said. Justice Srikrishna committee has fixed a maximum fee of Rs 1.44 lakh to Rs 1.58 lakh per year for BE and B Tech courses. But there is no minimum fee.
TN has lowest engg course fee among southern states
AICTE wants colleges to pay salaries as per seventh pay commission scale. Without allowance, the basic salary alone comes to around Rs 57,000 for entry-level assistant professors under new scale. With the current fee structure, we cannot give such a salary,” said R M Kishore, vice-chairman, RMK Engineering College.
Currently, engineering colleges pay between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 for entry-level posts. Colleges with fewer admissions pay only 10,000 for new faculty members.
“Srikrishna commission fixed Rs 1.47 lakh as the maximum fee for rural colleges to meet the sixth pay commission salary standards. AICTE says it would reduce student intake if we don’t pay as per revised pay. We will approach the council to fix a minimum fee for engineering courses to meet our salary demand,” he added.
A top official from a city college said engineering colleges can offer new salary structure only if the course fee is raised to Rs 85,000- Rs 90,000 for even governmentquota seats. “Only then we can even touch the breakeven point,” he said.
A college principal pointed out that Tamil Nadu has the lowest engineering course fee among all southern states.
“To break-even, engineering colleges must fill 70% of their seats. But only 30% of colleges were able to fill 70% or more seats,” said Maluk Mohamad, chairman, MAM College of Engineering and Technology in Trichy. “The fee committee should increase fee for all categories to Rs 75,000. Only then we can pay good salary to our faculty members,” he said.
After the death of Justice N V Balasubramanian, who was heading the committees on fixation of fee for self-financing professional colleges in TN, in November last year, the state government is yet to appoint a new chairman for the panel.
“Colleges swill get good faculty members only if they pay good salary. With good faculty members they can offer quality engineering education. So the fee hike is necessary. But the state government or Anna University should monitor whether the colleges are paying their faculty members the revised salary after the fee hike,” said E Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor, Anna University.
TNN | Feb 10, 2020, 01.22 PM IST
CHENNAI: With more than 500 engineering colleges in the state awaiting revision of fee in 2020-21 after a gap of three years, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has urged state governments and fee committees to consider hiking fee for engineering and other technical courses to meet the pay revision mandated for faculty members by the council.
The colleges want fee to be hiked by at least 50% from the next academic year.
In a recent letter to all state governments, AICTE member-secretary Rajiv Kumar has urged them to direct state admission and fee regulation committees to take into account the sixth and seventh pay commission notifications and other parameters while fixing the fee.
The council had received complaints that technical institutions fail to pay their faculty members salary stipulated by the pay panels.
“Most of the members have claimed that they are unable to comply with the AICTE’s directions due to the (quantum of) tuition fee fixed by state fee regulation committees,” Rajiv Kumar said, adding that fee reimbursement from governments for SC/ST students also gets delayed.
“In the absence of reasonable fee, colleges have difficulty in maintaining standards and paying salaries to their faculty,” he said. Justice Srikrishna committee has fixed a maximum fee of Rs 1.44 lakh to Rs 1.58 lakh per year for BE and B Tech courses. But there is no minimum fee.
TN has lowest engg course fee among southern states
AICTE wants colleges to pay salaries as per seventh pay commission scale. Without allowance, the basic salary alone comes to around Rs 57,000 for entry-level assistant professors under new scale. With the current fee structure, we cannot give such a salary,” said R M Kishore, vice-chairman, RMK Engineering College.
Currently, engineering colleges pay between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 for entry-level posts. Colleges with fewer admissions pay only 10,000 for new faculty members.
“Srikrishna commission fixed Rs 1.47 lakh as the maximum fee for rural colleges to meet the sixth pay commission salary standards. AICTE says it would reduce student intake if we don’t pay as per revised pay. We will approach the council to fix a minimum fee for engineering courses to meet our salary demand,” he added.
A top official from a city college said engineering colleges can offer new salary structure only if the course fee is raised to Rs 85,000- Rs 90,000 for even governmentquota seats. “Only then we can even touch the breakeven point,” he said.
A college principal pointed out that Tamil Nadu has the lowest engineering course fee among all southern states.
“To break-even, engineering colleges must fill 70% of their seats. But only 30% of colleges were able to fill 70% or more seats,” said Maluk Mohamad, chairman, MAM College of Engineering and Technology in Trichy. “The fee committee should increase fee for all categories to Rs 75,000. Only then we can pay good salary to our faculty members,” he said.
After the death of Justice N V Balasubramanian, who was heading the committees on fixation of fee for self-financing professional colleges in TN, in November last year, the state government is yet to appoint a new chairman for the panel.
“Colleges swill get good faculty members only if they pay good salary. With good faculty members they can offer quality engineering education. So the fee hike is necessary. But the state government or Anna University should monitor whether the colleges are paying their faculty members the revised salary after the fee hike,” said E Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor, Anna University.
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