THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government on Friday reached an agreement with the self-financing engineering college management association on seat-sharing and fee structure for the 2017-18 academic year.According to Jory Mathai, president of Kerala Self-Financing Engineering College Management Association, the terms and conditions of the agreement reached last year will continue in the current academic year also.
The government will fill 50 per cent merit seats in self-financing colleges with two fee slabs.
"While Rs 50,000 will be the annual tuition fee for the low income group in the merit quota, higher income group students will have to pay Rs 50,000 as tuition fee and Rs 25,000 as special fees.
Colleges can waive the special fees by providing scholarship. In the 35 per cent management quota seats, students have to pay an annual tuition fee of Rs 99,000 along with a special fee of Rs 25,000 and a refundable security deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh.
For the 15 per cent NRI quota seats, Rs 1.5 lakh will be the annual tuition fee. Students in the NRI quota will also have to pay Rs 25,000 as special fee and Rs 1.5 lakh as refundable security deposit.
“The Education Minister has asked us to make some concession in the liquidity damages clause which allows the colleges to collect up to four years of tuition fees in case the student vacates the seat after getting admission,” Jory Mathai said.“We have responded favourably to the government’s request and our member colleges will discuss the issue in the upcoming meeting of the association,” he added.