Students fret over fee hikes that won’t be reimbursed

With degree colleges set to start on Thursday, students are worried over the fee hike in the name of ‘special fees’ which cannot be reimbursed by the state government. Around 80 student leaders from the Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU) held a protest on Wednesday at the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) against the abnormal hike in fee in degree colleges.

The state government has increased the fees for special category for degree and PG colleges but will not reimburse the enhanced amount. The fee has been increased by `5,000 for rural areas and `7,500 in municipal areas.

Paska Narsaiah, general secretary, PDSU, said, “the reimbursement scheme covers only the tuition fees, but the government has increased the degree college fees two months back for special category which they will not reimburse. The students will have to pay from their pockets, which is not easy, especially for those coming from rural areas. If a poor student wants to study in a top college, how will she afford the new fees?’’.

Vijay Bhaskar Reddy, secretary general, Degree College Managments Association, said, “A few top colleges in the city have increased the fees recently. They are charging `25,000 for B.Com courses and `20,000 for other degree courses per year. But the government should be able to reimburse the fees, otherwise the burden will be on the students. The state government has to still release more funds for reimbursements this year’’.