Hyderabad: Students in a fix over fees

Hyderabad: Who is fixing the fee being paid by the students admitted in various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the Gurunanak and Sreenidhi 'universities'?

The issue has come to the fore as several students from Gurunanak Higher Education Institution in Ibrahimpatnam had earlier hit the streets alleging they were given only fee receipts written on paper and they have not got proper identity cards. Besides, not a single semester has been completed even after seven months of their admissions. The students alleged that the institutions had not informed them that it is awaiting a government order to confirm their university status. Amidst all these allegations, the State Education Department sources told Hans India that the Telangana State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018 has specific provisions related to the fee regulations in the universities established under the Act.

According to Chapter VI (Regulation of University), proviso 32 mandates the 'Admissions and Fee Structure' of the private universities established under the Act.

Proviso 32(1) gives full autonomy, along with full disclosure and transparency, on starting various academic programmes and the admissions process thereof, so long as it adheres fully to the admission norms that it has committed to in its approved project proposal.

However, the subsequent subsections 2 and 3 of Section 32 mandate the rules of reservation in admissions. It says the fee fixation to various courses shall be done by a Fee Fixation Committee constituted by a university formed under the Act.

Subsection 4 of Section 32 makes it clear that "In the case of an existing Institution, which is established as a University under this Act, the fee fixed by the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee for the courses and seats of that Institution shall be continued even in the University established under this Act."

Now students are demanding clarification from the state government on the issue of the fees collected by the Guru Nanak institution and others established under the Act.

The SED officials are tight-lipped to speak or clarify to the students on the issue.

What turned more curious is the fee regulatory committee is headed by a former judge.

The committee which is supposed to fix the fee structure under the Act is silent over these complaints, leaving students not knowing who they should approach.