AP Govt Appoints Members For Fee Regulatory and Monitoring Commission

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday issued orders appointing members to the A.P. Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APHERMC). The appointments were made under the AP Higher Education Fees Regulation and Monitoring Act, 2019. According to the order, the tenure of committee members will be three years or until they attain 70 years of age, whichever comes first.

Tirumalasetti Venkata Ranga Satya Bhanumurthy has been appointed as a member and expert in Chartered Accountancy and Public Finance. Dr. Manyala Ramalinga Raju and Pujari Hari Prakash have been named as members representing the Higher Education Administration division. The government also appointed Dr. Vasireddy Vidyasagar, Chancellor of VVIT University, as the representative for private higher education institutions.

The APHERMC is mandated to determine and regulate fee structures, monitor academic standards, and investigate malpractices such as excess fee collection and retention of certificates in private unaided higher education institutions across the state.

The appointments come amid a debate over the state government's plan to replace APHERMC with the A.P. Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC). APHERMC was set up by the previous YSR Congress Party government to regulate private institutions. Several educational institutions and managements approached the High Court, arguing that the Commission did not have the authority to finalise fees.  The proposal was opposed by several groups like the Parents Association of Andhra Pradesh (PAAP) and other organisations, who alleged it would allow private institutions to exploit parents.

They argued that dismantling the existing regulatory body would enable corporate institutions to charge exorbitant fees and demanded that the government continue to regulate fees in private colleges instead of lifting current controls.