Telangana Sets Up Gigh-Level Panel To Fix Fee Hike Parameters

As per the government order, the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) noted that fee proposals submitted by private colleges were inconsistent with parameters laid out by the Supreme Court and High Court.

TAFRC had recommended the formation of a committee to examine fee determination processes followed in other states and align the state’s process with judicial directives and educational realities.

The newly formed committee of officers has been mandated to identify appropriate benchmarks and indicators for determining tuition fees, taking into account judicial precedents, state-wise practices, and other cost-affecting variables such as faculty salaries, infrastructure needs, and quality of instruction with the aim to ensure a fair, legally compliant and transparent process for regulating fees in private professional institutions.

The committee will be chaired by Prof G. Balakista Reddy, chairman of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TGCHE), and will include commissioner technical education A. Sridevasena; SCDD director N. Kshitija; audit department director M. Venkateshwar Rao; and DTCP director S. Devender Reddy. Other members include Prof. Sriram Venkatesh (secretary, TGCHE), the member-secretary, Prof. K. Venkateswara Rao (registrar, JNTU Hyderabad), and Prof. A. Krishnaiah (dean, Engineering, Osmania University). The chairperson may also nominate up to two subject experts.

The committee’s recommendations will aid TAFRC in revising the fee fixation framework in accordance with law, while ensuring that the cost of professional education remains reasonable and justifiable. It is expected to bring clarity and consistency in the fee structure across private professional colleges in Telangana.