Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s decision to reimburse the fee for Economically Backward Class (EBC) students in all degree, PG and professional courses from this academic year would benefit nearly 80% of the students. But, only those students, whose parents annual income is less than Rs 1 lakh would benefit from the scheme.

The State government spent Rs.18.45 crore in tuition fee reimbursements last year benefiting 73,818 backward class and minority students. This year it is expected to benefit 5, 31,577 backward class students and cost the government Rs 61 crore.

The YSR government largesse is expected to benefit nearly 80,000 students in engineering, 10,000 in B.Ed, 14,700 in MCA, 7,700 in MBA, 3,800 in LLB, 3,200 in medical and 2,400 in nursing. It would also benefit 70,000 students in degree and 20,000 in Post Graduate courses. The Government also plans to start 300 hostels for the benefit of 30,000 girls studying in colleges belonging to backward classes.

Speaking to TCG, the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) Chairman, Prof K C Reddy, said that the Andhra Pradesh International Institute of Information Technologies (APIIITs) had also been included in the scheme but clarified that the Intermediate course was not a part of it.

Prof Reddy that said EBC coordinators would be appointed in all the districts to monitor the scheme, while the Joint Collector would be the sanctioning authority. On the ‘misuse’ of the scheme, he expressed opinion that strict measures would be initiated to ensure that tax payers’ money was properly utilised.

“The Government’s intention is to provide quality education to the needy and some guidelines should be evolved to ensure that the students’ utilise it properly by attending classes regularly,” he said.

Prof Reddy stressed that enrollment in higher education would be increased from the present 11% to 15% by 2015. “The Government is giving 6,600 free engineering seats to the rural students in the three State IIITs, immediately after Class X, which is a unique programme in the country,” Reddy said.

The APSCHE Chairman clarified that in view of the State government’s fee reimbursement scheme, the YSR Government has decided to stop the All India Council for Technical Education’s (AICTE) ‘tuition fee waiver scheme’. Beginning from this year, however, there also would be no ‘free seats’ in engineering colleges.
 
The AICTE had introduced the scheme for women, economically backward students (annual income less than Rs 2.5 lakh) and physically handicapped meritorious students in 2007.

In 2008, about 5,000 students in the state had availed of the AICTE’s scheme and secured seats in some of the top engineering colleges.

Under the scheme, any recognised college affiliated to AICTE can voluntarily waiver the tuition fee up to 10% of its sanctioned intake of students. The institution is allowed to admit 10% additional students in the same discipline.

However, the introduction of ‘total fee reimbursement’ scheme by the state government during the last academic year had affected the AICTE’s scheme.

During the last academic year, the fee reimbursement scheme was applicable to only reserved quota students from BC, SC, ST, PHC and minorities. But, from this year, the government included the students from economically backward classes too. However, students said that with the AICTE’s scheme, EBC families with an income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum could avail of the ‘tuition fee waiver.’ But, now only families with an income of below Rs 1 lakh per annum can avail the state government’s ‘total fee reimbursement scheme.’  Several EBC students with income limit in the range of above Rs 1 lakh and below Rs 2.5 lakh would lose the opportunity to pursue engineering courses, they opined.

Higher Education Minister D Sridhar Babu said that the government would constitute monitoring committees soon at the State and the district levels to oversee transparent and proper disbursement of fees to students belonging to various weaker sections, including minorities and EBCs.

“The government found it necessary to form these committees since it is spending Rs 2,500 crore annually on reimbursing fees of students in all professional colleges. The reimbursement would be made online for better accountability and complaint-free and steps would be taken to see that the benefit reaches every eligible student,” the minister said.

Presently, the scheme is meant only for students of weaker sections in other backward classes (OBC) and it is proposed that economically backward class students be included from this academic year, he said.