The All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) Karnataka State Committee has urged the state government to immediately drop the decision to increase the admission fees at government degree colleges in the state by 5%.
In a press statement, Vinaya Chandra SV, Dakshina Kananda district convenor of AIDSO, said it has been informed that the money collected from students will be used for the development of government colleges.
"Then, what difference remains between a private college and a government college? Is this the government's first step towards washing its hands off the financial responsibility of government colleges and privatising them," he asked, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Further, he said already, the government is providing very little grant for education; especially for higher education, and the state's universities do not even have money to pay pensions to retirees.
"Seven universities in the state are on the verge of closure due to lack of basic facilities and teachers. Due to the expensive fees of universities that are dependent on the admission fees paid by students, a significant number of degree students are working to afford the degree fees. In such a situation, the universities' move to increase the admission fees by 5% will permanently push a large number of poor and middle-class students away from higher education," he feared.
He urged the government to drop the decision to increase the fee and instead provide more grants to resolve the financial crisis of the state universities.
