At least eight PU colleges in Karnataka that were receiving grants applied to the Department of Pre-University Education for withdrawal of aid from this academic year and their request has been approved.
This move has come as a surprise to officials who feel that aided colleges are resorting to this practice so that they can increase the tuition fees. The issue of withdrawal of grants and its impact was discussed at the annual conference of PU lecturers and principals, here on Wednesday.
President of the Karnataka State Pre-University College Lecturers’ Association Thimmaiah Purle alleged that with this move, nearly 300 PU lecturers would lose their jobs as their salaries are paid by the government. According to Mr. Purle, colleges have taken this decision so that they could increase tuition fees, which could not have been done while they were receiving government aid.
Tuition fees
While aided colleges are mandated to charge ₹2,850 as fee a year as prescribed by the government, the fee charged by private PU colleges runs into ₹1.5 lakh a year. In aided colleges or sections, faculty members have been appointed by the department for several years.
PU college managements, however, have defended the move. A senior management member of a private college that has two aided sections and 10 unaided sections said, “There are too many restrictions and rules we have to comply with in an aided college. Moreover, the staff members of the aided sections who get salary from the government do not take us seriously,” he said.
He also said the fee collected by aided colleges was not sufficient to meet the infrastructural requirements.
Another college principal said there was “too much” interference by department if colleges claimed aid.
‘No need to worry’
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait said there was no need for lecturers to worry about their jobs as those working in aided colleges would get alternative postings if the colleges chose to withdraw grants from the government.