46 top colleges in spot on admissions

OU fee structure not viable, awaits notification

Forty-six leading degree colleges in the city offering conventional UG courses like B Sc, B Com, BA, BBA etc in different disciplines are in a bind over admissions for the next academic year.

Inquiries for new admissions have already started in some colleges, but colleges are unable to give clear answers in view of last year’s situation.

It may be recalled that last year admissions for all degree courses in the state were made through DOST (Degree Online Services, Telangana), but 46 colleges opted out since the fee structure of nearly `11,000 per annum, fixed by Osmania University, was not viable for them.

These institutions, some of which are considered the best in the state, have good infrastructure and facilities, experienced teaching faculty and are also located in prime locations in the capital where rental costs are high.

The fee structure is in the range of `30,000 to `50,000 depending on the course.

According to Ramesh Nimmatoori, chairman, Aurora Group of Educations, that also has a much sought after Degree College for commerce and life sciences courses, stated that the college is not against the common counselling process, but does not want to charge the low fee forced on it by the government.

“Let the authorities display the existing fee structure in these colleges on the website, and those willing to afford will only take admission. More than 90 per cent of our students do not depend on fee reimbursement; parents have no objections to paying the fee because they are very satisfied with the quality of education offered in these colleges,” Mr Nimmatoori said.

These college managements are waiting for a notification from the university or higher education department to plan their next move. Last year they contested the low fee structure in court and went ahead with their own admissions after getting the court’s nod.

Some of these colleges are offering Civils coaching, career advancement and add-on-courses in addition to the regular courses, which is why students graduating from these colleges are successful.

“Government can crack down on bogus colleges and institutions that are misusing the fee reimbursement scheme. However, proven colleges that are offering quality education and getting good results should not be measured by the same yard-stick, otherwise students and institutions will suffer,” a college correspondent said.