BENGALURU: Private engineering colleges in the state are demanding a 50% hike in fee for undergraduate courses. The fee structure is yet to be discussed and as the election code of conduct is in force, the college managements will have to wait till a new government is installed.
M K Panduranga Setty, secretary of Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association said, “Last year, the government convinced us not to hike the fee. This time unless the new government agrees to a hike, we will not sign the consensual agreement.”
Setty also hinted that if the government refuses to increase the fee, then several colleges will be forced to close down or opt for private university status. “It is impossible to run a college with the fee that the government fixes. This is the reason why many colleges are keen on getting private university status where they can fix their fee structure and give some seats to the government,” said Setty.
A few of the top engineering colleges, including R V College of Engineering, Bengaluru, are said to have applied for private university status. In the last five years, some reputed colleges like Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering, PES Institute of Technology, Reva College of Engineering and CMR college have become private universities.