Bangalore: Contrary to the popular notion that introduction of the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Act 2006 is a big boost for private professional colleges affiliated to the COMED-K, many engineering and dental colleges are not happy with the state government's decision.
According to sources, hundreds of engineering colleges and dental institutes (except a handful of prestigious colleges in the city) are on tenterhooks as the common fee structure for all students may end up in zero admission for their institutes. They are expected to approach the state government seeking a consensus agreement as they have done in previous years.
According to sources in the state higher education department, out of 200 engineering colleges, only eight or nine colleges from the city favour the implementation of the 2006 Act.
The rest favour continuation of the old consensual agreement system as the high fee structure may affect admissions and scrapping the management quota may affect their revenue. Medical colleges, however, are keen to implement the Act as they see no dip in revenue.
The head of an engineering college confirmed this development. “Look at last year’s admission details.
More than half of the engineering colleges had the worst admission figures. If there are no CET students, we might be forced to close our colleges due to poor admission.
Whatever may be the demands of the so called prestigious colleges, I favour the old CET system. Government can’t go with the 2006 Act just because a few top colleges in Bangalore incur loss due to the CET,” he said.
He said that dental and ayurveda colleges are facing a similar dilemma - whether to go with the COMEDK-UGET or government CET.
“It is the meritorious students from the CET pole who are bringing a good name to the so called elite colleges. So, everyone is facing the same question, whether to go with CET or not,” he said.
Speaking to this newspaper, the principal of a city college said the government should think of coming out with a win-win formula for both students and colleges.
“In Bangalore city, even a nursery seat costs more than Rs.75,000 per year in an average school. But to start an engineering college, we need minimum two acres of land and heavy investment in infrastructure. We are here to survive as well as to provide better higher education for local students. So government should come out with a formula,” the principal said.
Medical colleges are firm on the implementation of the Act. The principal of a medical college said that the present consensual agreement is causing heavy losses to colleges and the 2006 Act is the solution. “It also ends problems like seat blocking, donation etc,” he said.
According to sources, private colleges that favour implementation of the 2006 Act are not in favour of continuing with the supernumerary category (free seat) in engineering admission.
AICTE introduced this free seat system two years ago.
“That shows how much these so called elite colleges are against meritorious students,” said an officer from the higher education department.
