PEC proposes 9% fee hike from next session

CHANDIGARH: PEC (deemed to be university) has proposed a fee hike of 9.09% from the next academic session (2018-19). The proposal will be tabled in the board of governor, PEC (deemed to be university) on Wednesday for a final nod.
In the current academic year, the annual tuition fee of the students is Rs 1.1 lakh. However, after the proposed hike, the annual tuition fee would be Rs 1.2 lakh for 2018-19. The admission fee will also increase if the proposal is accepted. Presently, the students are paying Rs 6,000. However, from the next academic session, the students will have to shell out Rs 6,500.

There will be an increase in the maintenance charges too. In the present academic session, one has to pay Rs 7,000 as maintenance charge. However, in the next academic session, a student will have to pay Rs 8,000. Officials of the institute said a proposal to increase fee from 2019-2023 will also be tabled for approval. In fact, the authorities have proposed 12 % hike for 2019-20 academic session considering various factors.

As per the proposal, which has been mooted by the authorities, it is stated that the institute meets its expenses from grants. The proposed hike for 2018-19 and subsequent five academic sessions, therefore, are for the new students.

The authorities said the fee should be increased taking into consideration inflation, expenditure on accounts of filling of vacant faculty positions, establishment of new centres, creating and filling new faculty positions on self-supporting basis, proportionate enhancement in pension and effect of 7th pay commission

Referring to the Indian Institute of Technology and National Institutes of Technology (NIT) in the proposal, the PEC authorities said these institutes also hiked their fee for the undergraduate courses.

In the proposal, there is no fee hike for the PG courses as the institute wants to attract better talents on campus. The authorities believe PEC's undergraduate courses are their USP and therefore the fee is comparatively less when compard to government institutes.