Engineering aspirants may have to shell out more for securing a seat in a Karnataka-based college. That’s because the state’s private colleges are seeking
a fee hike of at least 10% from the next academic year, saying they are under pressure to hike staff wages. But teachers contest the claim – according to them, few colleges raised salaries last year and some even downsized staff despite an 8% fee hike. Experts feel an increase would be unlawful since the fee structure fixed in 2018-19 was for three years.The challenge for engineering colleges is a declining student base, as a result of which they are unable to fill their seats. They think that raising fees will help them remain profitable and sustainable when they should be looking closely at why their graduates are no longer employable, and should they do more to revamp their courses instead of the fees . Engineering colleges have lost their relevancy in the current environment with IT services jobs expected to shrink in the coming years they need to reinvent themselves
In the increased fee scenario, private education will further go beyond the reach of most engineering aspirants, probably dashing hopes of many. This will further squeeze seat demand in the colleges that reportedly halved post the eight per cent hike. Possible outcome: financial and operational ramifications for the management of these colleges.
