VIJAYAWADA: The AP Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APHERMC) has directed all degree colleges to submit bank statements and copies of income tax returns (ITR-7) for 2016-17 and 2017-18, along with information regarding infrastructure facilities in order to categorise them and standardise the fee structure.
The erstwhile Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC), which is now merged with the APHERMC, had issued notification to submit the fee proposals by the colleges, for the block period of 2019-20 and 2020-21, in September, 2018.
“The managements of private unaided professional colleges have already submitted the data as per the old 26 schedules for 2016-17 and 2017-18. But we found some lapses in the previous information collection format and felt that more information is needed. So we introduced schedules 27, 28, 29 and 30,” said commission secretary N Rajashekhar Reddy.
While schedule 27 demands details of building infrastructure, schedule 28 requires colleges to submit the details of all rooms they have.
The details of lab equipment and other facilities have to be submitted under schedules 29 and 30 respectively.
Colleges are required to submit the necessary details between November 17 and 21 in a PDF format (available at http://aphermc.ap.gov.in) by sending an email at auditorsaphermc@gmail.com.
“From November 22, seven to eight teams comprising selected integrated teachers and commission officials will conduct surprise checks at colleges chosen randomly to check if they have submitted the details properly,” added Reddy.
Commission will fix new fee before December
The commission will fix a new standardised fee before December and submit the proposal to the court in the form of a GO.
The new fee structure will be applicable for all degree colleges from the 2019-20 academic year. However, the new fee structure for medical, agriculture and veterinary colleges, which hereafter will be decided by APHERMC, will be applicable from 2020-21 academic year.
Meanwhile, the commission has instructed private unaided colleges to collect the same amount of fee for the coming academic year as they did for the previous year.
“We have asked the colleges to give us three months’ time to review and revise the fee structure. Till that time they should not hike fee.
The government will pay the balance amount in case there is an increase in the new fee amount fixed by the commission. For instance, if a particular engineering college is charging Rs 70,000 and the new fee is fixed at Rs 90,000, the balance Rs 20,000 will be paid by the government to the college,” he clarified.
Any college, which has completed five years should acquire State Accreditation before applying for a certificate from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.
The college managements are also directed to give unique identification codes for each of their professors to prevent them from teaching at two different institutions.
“A face biometric system, which will be linked to the government website, should be incorporated. This will help check if they are maintaining 65% to 75% attendance,” he said. However, in case of 65 per cent attendance, the professor will have to produce a medical certificate.
“The commission has legal powers to summon colleges. Students, teachers and non-teaching staff along with management members can lodge a complaint and approach the commission along with their lawyers for the redressal of their grievances,” he said and added, “If colleges fail to adhere to the rules of the commission, they will have to close down.”