PAAP Opposes Move To Abolish Education Monitoring Commission
The association said the commission earlier ensured a degree of control over fees and academic standards.
Nellore: The Parents Association of Andhra Pradesh (PAAP) has strongly opposed the state government’s reported move to abolish the Higher Education Regulation and Monitoring Commission, warning that it could lead to unchecked commercialisation of higher education.
In a statement, PAAP alleged that scrapping the commission and replacing it with a committee would benefit private college managements, allowing arbitrary fee hikes and increasing the risk of illegal collections. The association said the commission earlier ensured a degree of control over fees and academic standards. PAAP also cautioned that a committee without statutory powers would be ineffective in monitoring infrastructure and teaching quality, leading to a decline in educational standards. Imposing additional fee burdens on already struggling parents, particularly from poor and middle-class families, was termed unjust.
The association criticised the exclusion of parent representatives from the fee-fixation process, calling it undemocratic, and urged the government to consider the state's ground realities instead of citing practices elsewhere. Key demands include withdrawal of the proposal, conducting public hearings on illegal fee collections, ensuring strong legal oversight of private colleges, and strengthening—not abolishing—the Higher Education Regulation and Monitoring Commission. PAAP said it would continue to press the government to protect students’ interests and the future of higher education in Andhra Pradesh.
