| According to a Times of India post today (7 Feb 2010), | | | | disgrace on Engineering standards. This can be partly |
| there might be a possible fee hike for all Engineering | | | | learnt from western countries where universities are |
| College students in India. The representatives of | | | | largely free market economies which means that |
| private Engineering Colleges have collectively appealed | | | | students are ready to pay higher premiums for better |
| to the AICTE (All India council for Technical Education), | | | | quality education. Unfortunately this has negative |
| which regulates technical higher education in India, | | | | consequences like increase in education costs which |
| about two issues:a) Uniform fee for students in all | | | | many parents cannot afford and hence low |
| states to Rs 80,000 / year | | | | percentages of enrollments. |
| The college management reasons that there is a huge | | | | But in order to solve this issue, the government should |
| disparity between fees charged in various states for | | | | promote many public universities that are referenced |
| example Colleges in AP charge Rs 30,200 per annum | | | | as benchmark in terms of quality. But there have to |
| while in certain states colleges charge Rs 80,000 per | | | | enough number of Public Universities to cater to a |
| annum. Because the fee is so low in AP, colleges are | | | | wide population. Private Universities can then compete |
| unable to afford quality faculty members.b) Abolish | | | | with the public ones in quality, while their tuition fees |
| M.Tech as basic qualification requirement for | | | | can be at check relative to the public ones. The |
| appointment as Assistant Professor. | | | | private Universities could be mandated to divert back |
| The colleges feel that they are under immense | | | | at least a significant portion of revenues back into |
| pressure to provide quality education but due to lack | | | | developing the infrastructure, facilities and hiring better |
| of enough faculty member who have post graduate | | | | faculty. This has to be closely audited and regulated |
| education, they are forced to fight for the same small | | | | since Indian colleges are master of disguise when it |
| pool of faculty. Since most of the private companies | | | | comes to accounting principles. |
| pay much higher salaries and perks compared to | | | | This also solves the other issue of being unable to hire |
| education institutions, it is very hard to retain talent | | | | M.Tech graduates as Assistant Professor. Higher pay |
| without higher salaries, which they can ill afford without | | | | scales attract better talented faculty who have |
| higher fees. | | | | incentive to pursue M.Tech and Ph.D when |
| My Opinion | | | | compensated as well as in other industries. |
| To a large extent, I personally agree with the education | | | | In summary, he government has to pump in significant |
| institutions that they need to charge higher fee to | | | | percentage of GDP towards setting up higher |
| retain better faculty talent. Without quality faculty, | | | | education institutions against which private ones can |
| better pedagogy techniques and quality infrastructure, | | | | compete in quality and costs. |
| India is just producing duds that are an absolute | | | | |