Hyderabad: Has JNTU-Hyderabad commercialised higher education? Are colleges feeling the pinch with fees being collected under different heads by the varsity every year? The answer from private engineering college managements is “yes” with no second thoughts.

However, the varsity is not ready to buy the argument. The latest issue between engineering colleges and the varsity is regarding affiliation fees per student per year which the colleges have to pay to the varsity. The fee was Rs 175 per student for all colleges till now It has now been revised to 0.5 per cent of the annual tuition fee. And this has not gone down well with colleges.

Engineering Colleges’ Association president C. Gautham Rao feels this decision is unfair. “The service extended by the university to all colleges for collecting affiliation fee is the same. Why then is the fee linked to tuition fees collected?” he questioned.

Autonomous colleges are more peeved with the decision. “We are not taking help of the varsity even for conducting exams or preparation of papers since autonomous colleges are given that facility. Then what is the need to pay Rs 500 or more for each candidate?” asked the co-owner of a college.

This fee is in addition to the common services fee collected from each student and paid to the varsity. While in the first-year it is Rs 2,000, from second-year onwards the fee is Rs 1,500 per student, according to the Engineering Colleges’ Association.
Meanwhile, JNTU registrar Mr N. Yadaiah said that the affiliation fee was Rs 175 as it was 0.5 per cent of the annual tuition fee, which was Rs 35,000 for all colleges. Now, as tuition fees are different for each college, 0.5 per cent has become the basis for the affiliation fee instead of the earlier Rs 175