Govt decision on 'fee reimbursement' angers students

30 Aug, 2012 08:35 IST|Sakshi
Govt decision on 'fee reimbursement' angers students

 

The decision on fee reimbursement’ scheme, introduced by late Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y.S.Rajashekhar Reddy,  has finally been announced. The state government came to a decision yesterday to cap the fee reimbursement at Rs 35,000 for students pursuing engineering courses this year. Anything over this amount will have to be borne by the students themselves.

The decision comes as a drawback for those students who are meritorious enough to get admission into the best colleges of the state but at the same time cannot afford it. Students from poor families are crying foul over the decision as the fee of the 67 best colleges in the state which are equipped with good infrastructure and quality education is fixed between Rs.51, 800 to 1, 05,000. Though being meritorious enough to bag a seat, the amount of fee makes it a distant dream for them. The only option they have is to take admission in the rest of the 578 colleges where the fee has been fixed at re.35, 000.

“In spite of getting a good rank in EAMCET I can’t dream of the best colleges in the city as they can’t be afforded by my parents who struggle hard to get even 5,000 a month. I wish government should’ve at least thought of poor students like us”, says an aspiring engineer during the EAMCET engineering counseling session.

The session of certificate verification started amid protest by students yesterday. They had earlier demanded a uniform fee of Rs. 35,000 for all colleges which was ruled out by the Kiran Reddy ruled government. Protestors staged an attempt to disrupt the session of the counseling showing their anger at the given decision. The fee cap would be applicable to those students who take up admissions through the ongoing EAMCET counseling. Many of the 578 colleges, where the fee has been fixed to Rs.35, 000 and will completely be reimbursed by the government, lack good infrastructure and quality education. 

There are chances that a few colleges in the state charge high to sum up with the amount they need to pay for accreditation. Colleges which lack good infrastructure or basic infrastructure find ways of getting past the hurdle of inspection. 

“I feel I am lucky to have taken up engineering during YS Rajashekhar Reddy’s government. Because of his ‘fee reimbursement scheme’ I was able to pursue my education in the college I like and the whole of my fee was reimbursed by the government, irrespective of what college I chose.” says a 4th year CSE student from CVR engineering college.

After the tragic demise of the former Chief Minister, the late Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy in September 2009, fee reimbursement took a backseat in terms of priorities and the Rosaiah regime slowed down the entire process. They only got worse under Kiran Kumar Reddy and things came to such a pass last year that managements threatened to close down professional colleges if the reimbursement dues were not settled.

Parents also voiced their anger at the decision this year and also slammed the government for announcing it so late in the day. “My daughter secured  5400th rank and wanted to get into CBIT but since the fee there is now 1.05 lakh per annum and only 35,000 out of it will be reimbursed, we cannot afford to bear the additional burden, voiced a mother who accompanied her daughter for the counseling.

Students and parents complain of having very less time before the counseling to decide which college to opt for and this is creating a whole lot of chaos. The government should have given the entire issue enough though instead of muddling its way about in this manner. 

-Neha Jha@SakshiPost

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