VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh is the only State in the country which is providing tuition fee reimbursement for 87 per cent of students pursuing higher education courses, said Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) chairman P Hema Chandra Reddy.
Addressing a press conference at R&B Office here on Thursday, Hema Chandra Reddy said that around Rs 4,000 crore was paid as tuition fee reimbursement for the students under Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasithi Deevena after the YSRC came into power.
In total, Rs 1,880 crore was paid as arrears for the 2018-19 academic year, Rs 2,200 crore for 2019-20 and Rs 770 crore for senior students as fee reimbursement. The state government has started implementing Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasithi Deevena from November 30, 2019 and through these schemes, the government has taken the responsibility of offering quality higher education for the students. Under the previous government, around Rs 35,000 was provided as fee reimbursement.
However, after the YSRCP government was formed, complete fee reimbursement is being provided for the students under Jagananna Vidya Deevena, besides providing up to Rs 20,000 scholarships for degree and postgraduate students. The state government has taken a revolutionary decision and started crediting tuition fee directly into students mothers bank account from May 2020, he informed.
For every three months in a year, the fee reimbursement amount is credited to the mother’s bank account directly in four phases. Around Rs 670 crore was credited into mother’s accounts in the first quarter for the academic year and Rs 693.27 crore was credited in the second quarter. For the third quarter of the academic year, the government has decided to provide reimbursement in November instead of October, he explained.
In the first quarter of the year, 91.2 per cent of mothers paid the fee, while in the second quarter only 42.2 percent of mothers paid the fees. “Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the money provided by the government under fee reimbursement should not be considered as an expense and it’s an investment for future generations,” Hema Chandra Reddy said.
Four-year degree courses
“The State government wants to bring some fundamental changes in the higher education sector. As part of it, we have written to the UGC to increase the duration of degree courses to four years from the existing three. Similarly, we want to increase the duration of engineering courses to five years from four. However, there is no response from UGC and AICTE so far,” he said. As per the terms of the 2020 Central scholarships, every college should get accreditation and the government was working with a plan for getting the same in the next three years.
“We also came to know that there is manipulation in most of the PG colleges. A vigilance inquiry is underway and appropriate action will be taken after getting the report. The state government is reimbursing fee for the self-finance courses as well as regular courses. Around Rs 250 crore is being spent additionally by the government,” the APSCHE chairman said.
The council has taken steps to allocate 35 per cent seats in private universities in the state under the convener quota. As part of this, the council is providing full reimbursement to 35 per cent students, Hema Chandra Reddy added. Special Chief Secretary Satish Chandra said that even during the Corona crisis, fees were paid without arrears. There is no delay in the release of funds in prestigious universities like SRM and the government’s intention is to provide quality education for all sections of the students, Satish Chandra said.