Eamcet system and are introducing hidden costs such as "special fees" and "laboratory fees" to loot unsuspecting students I PAID RS 12,000 EVEN THOUGH THE PRESCRIBED FEE IS RS 5,500

I t 's that time of the year again when engineering admissions are on in full swing. You have completed your counselling sessions, zeroed in on a college of your choice and paid the fees. But if you thought that was is enough to seal your seat in an engineering college, you will be in for a shock. Private engineering colleges in Hyderabad are making the most of the loopholes in the system and are "looting" students. From introducing hidden costs such as "laboratory fees" or "special fees" to extorting money from students who fall under the lowincome category, these colleges have found many ways to make the gift of education a profit-making business.
T. Rao, a harassed parent, says, "I was forced to pay up Rs 12,000 as special fee to CMR Engineering College, even though the maximum fee that can be charged is Rs 5,500. They even stated that this amount is non-refundable. If my son gets a better seat in the second phase of counselling, I will be looted all over again by another college."

The college authorities however, insist that this "special fee" is a "a sum of various other fees." Gopal Reddy, secretary, CMR Engineering College, says, "Of the Rs 12,000, Rs, 5,500 is the special fee and the rest is for JNTU fees, NBA accreditation fees and lab deposits."

However, the government rules clearly state otherwise.
K.C. Reddy, chairman, AP State Higher Education Council (APSHEC), says, "Colleges can't charge more than Rs 5,500 as special fee.
Also, we will now direct engineering colleges to refund the special fee if the student shifts college during counselling."

The government officials also confirm that students who belong to families that have an income of less than one lakh per annum are exempt from all kinds of fees.
But like all other rules, this too holds good only on paper.
Aakarapu N. Raju, says, "One of my brothers got a seat in SLC Institute of Engineering and Technolgy where we paid Rs 11,000, while my other brother got a seat in Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology where we paid Rs 6,000, despite the fact that education for low-income families like ours should be free."

The secretary of SLC Institute of Technology and Engineering, T. Satya Narayana, clarifies, "Students who fall under this bracket must have paid the special fee because they did not disclose the details of their income. If they do so, the fee will be refunded immediately." Ask him why Rs 11,000 is being charged illegally as opposed to the prescribed Rs 5,500 and he says, "The extra Rs 5,500 is optional. It is for the four-year book bank that we provide."

The management of Vidya Jyoti Institute of Technology too gets defensive, when contacted. Purushottam Reddy, secretary of the college says, "If any student has been wrongly charged, he can take it up with the authorities."

Despite their claims, college managements refuse to give seats to students who refuse to shell out extra fees.
And the fact that the list of help line numbers on the official EAMCET website are always "unavailable", doesn't help.

To this K.C. Reddy, says, "I will check with the department to find out why the helpline numbers don't work."