The effort goes waste

Being able to study at the Indian Institute of Technology is considered as the most prestigious thing for most of the students and parents in India. But recent fee hike from Rs 90, 000 to Rs 2 lakh has put many of the aspirants into dilemma.

“If I can pay Rs 2 lakh annually, why should I study hard and clear Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), I can get into any of the private engineering colleges whose standards are almost equal to that of IITs”, pointed Lalith Prasad Srigiriraju who has just completed his inter second year examinations.

Increasing the agony of students and parents; MHRD has recently announced that 75 per cent in academics is a must for getting an admission into IIT.

“We have concentrated much on clearing JEE exam than on scoring great grades at Intermediate level and most of the private colleges concentrate much on IIT coaching than on IPE, the decision taken by the MHRD will prove problematic for many students like me”, rues an inter second year student Kiranmaye Yerpuli.

If this was the case of students, parents of the students claim that they have a new thing to worry about regarding their children’s career.

“Paying Rs 2 lakh per annum is not easy, and most of the middle class families like me cannot afford it. My son studies well but if he clears JEE, I cannot pay his fees, which leaves me with no other option than going for an education loan for which I have to pay interest every month.

Education should not be a privilege,” laments Surya Prakash Murthy, a private employee. Karuna Sri Divi, who is an IIT-B alumnus and Regional Manager, ITC Biscuits says, “It is surely not a good decision taken by the MHRD; when I was studying the fees was Rs 40, 000 per annum which was affordable and,

moreover, a majority of people getting into IITs from Andhra Pradesh would be awarded Prathiba Award scholarship which was Rs 20,000 at that time but now even if the scholarship is awarded it would not even pay tuition or mess fees for IIT”. “Now there is no point in working hard and clearing the JEE exam as many cannot afford the fees”, she added.

“IIT is a great institution. It’s not just good for academics but also great for building character. Government’s decision which offers zero fees for SC/ST, physically challenged and low income group is great but what government forgot was most of the students in IITs are from middle class and lower middle class families.

There has been a full fee waiver for students with parental income less than 1 lakh per annum but the students with parental income between 1 to 5 lakh will have to pay Rs 67, 000 which will be hard for them,” notes M Rahul, IIT-M alumnus.

Academicians are backing the decision of the MHRD and stated that government has no other alternative than hiking the fees as most of the teaching posts in IIT’s are becoming vacant as the professors are paid well in private institutions.

“Half of the teaching posts in IITs are vacant, which resulted in the decline of quality of education in the institutions and the ranking of institutions, as well. To retain talented faculty, IITs have to pay on par with the private institutions.” states Chukka Ramaih, founder of IIT Ramaih institute.

“Government should provide subsidy either to IITs or students as government is providing fee waiver to students; IIT left with no other option than to hike the fees”, he pointed out.