Karnataka students may pay high fees for engg

There are some new developments reported with regard to fixing the fees for Karnataka Engineering Colleges. Those seeking admission to engineering colleges may end up paying higher fees irrespective of their Common Entrance Test (CET) rankings. The Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) 2011 results have been declared and students who have got their CET rankings are eagerly waiting to understand the fees structure of respective colleges.

According to reports, yesterday (1st June 2011) the Karnataka high court has asked the state government to notify the fee structure recommended by the Justice B Padmaraj Committee report on or before 8 June for colleges that have declined to be part of any consensual arrangement with the authorities.

This indicates that the state government will be forced to implement the recommendations on fee regulations mentioned in the report by Justice B Padmaraj Committee. It has been reported earlier that the committee have recommended higher fees, upto Rs 1.25 lakh, for premier engineering colleges. The least fee recommended is said to be about Rs.30,000.

Such a direction will bring an end to the dilemma prevailing over the fees structre, but, will be burdensome for many students across the state. It is also assumed that the state government cannot challenge the high court order in Supreme Court because it was the Karnataka state government which had formed the fee determination committee headed by justice Padmaraj two years ago based on a direction by the Supreme Court.

As reported earlier, this year, 60,543 candidates are eligible for engineering seats in Karnataka, which is a low figure in comparison to last year. That is because the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has revised the eligibility slab for aggregate marks in Science subjects from 45% to 50%. While the revision has its own benefits, it would hit several Karnataka colleges hard.