Clear dues or can’t sit for exam: College to students

HYDERABAD: Parents of students pursuing third year in Vasavi College of Engineering (VCE) are irked after the management refused to accept semester exam fee from them until they clear tuition fee dues.

Representatives of the Vasavi College Parents Association and the Joint Action Committee of Engineering College Parents held a meeting with the college principal on Wednesday seeking extension of time until the matter is legally resolved.

The parents locked horns over fee hike from ₹97,000 to ₹1.60 lakh following the High Court order passed in the college management’s favour earlier this year. With the semester exams scheduled to commence in November, parents alleged that the college management refused to allow students from paying exam fee until they clear the balance ₹1.57 lakh (including balance fee for the last two years).

“We had decided to await for a decision from the Supreme Court and the state government on the subject. Until that happens, it is unfair on the college management’s part to seek raise such a high amount at once from the parents. There are many who won’t be able to afford the amount thereby affecting the student’s future,” said Chakravarty Srinadh, president of Vasavi College of Engineering Parents Association.

Following the parents request, the college management recalled that on October 12, 2017, the parents had obliged to pay the tuition fee as may be finalized by the High Court and considered to allow them to pay the balance amount in instalments. “The management, considering their request, has agreed to permit payment of third year fee of ₹1.60 lakh in two equal instalments only in respect of those students for whom the fee for the first year and the second year has been paid in full @ ₹1.60 lakh,” read a notification issued by VCE principal on Wednesday.

The management also extended the last date for payment of examination fee without fine/late fee upto November 10 for those students who cleared the dues.