Coimbatore: Members of the Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam (MMI) staged a protest near the Race Course Police Station in the city on Tuesday, demanding that the State government ensure the fee structures of all colleges are published on an official government website.

The protesters raised slogans against private engineering, arts, and science colleges, alleging that many institutions collect fees far above the rates fixed by the government for student admissions.

MMI coordinator V. Eswaran urged Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan to conduct inspections of colleges and investigate the fees being collected from students.

"While the issue of charging Rs 10 above the maximum retail price (MRP) for a liquor bottle has become a major topic of discussion in the state every day and the Prohibition Minister K Vignesh is taking steps to prevent it, why doesn't the Higher Education Minister conduct surprise inspections in colleges and identify institutions that collect fees running into lakhs from students?" Eswaran asked.

"We urge the State government and the Higher Education Department to address the fee issue, as irregularities in higher education directly affect students' welfare. The government should announce measures to curb what has become daylight robbery in the name of education fees," he said.

The protest also highlighted the demand that admissions to private arts and science colleges be conducted through a single-window system administered by the State government.

"Engineering admissions are already conducted through a centralized counselling process. If a similar system is introduced for private arts and science colleges, institutions will not be able to collect exorbitant fees from parents. The Higher Education Department should also take steps to convert self-financing courses into aided courses in colleges and schools to prevent institutions from charging excessive fees," Eswaran demanded

The protesters further demanded the immediate appointment of professors and assistant professors in government-aided colleges, along with improvements to infrastructure and laboratory facilities.