Question : COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION

(a) whether the students from the poor and weaker sections of the society are deprived of higher education due to its high cost;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government in this regard;

(c) whether the Government has made any proposal/provisions to curtail the fees of courses of higher education especially for the poor students and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether cases of violation of these provisions by States have come to the notice of the Government during the last three years; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. M. MANGAPATI PALLAM RAJU)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

17TH POSITION
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 317 DATED 12.2.2014 ASKED BY SHRI HARISH CHAUDHARY AND SHRI YASHBANT N.S. LAGURI REGARDING COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

(a) No, Madam.

(b) The Government has taken several steps to ensure that students from poor and weaker sections are not deprived of higher education by providing scholarships, fellowships, tuition fee waivers, interest subsidy on education loans, coaching and remedial courses, etc.

(c) to (e) Education in India is a not-for profit activity. Pursuant to the judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the Islamic Academy of Education Vs the State of Karnataka and T.M.A Pai Foundation Vs the State of Karnataka, Fee Fixation Committees have been set up by State Governments, which are fixing fees for all professional and technical courses.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued the UGC Establishment and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities, 2003. Para 3.9 of these regulations provide that “the admission procedure and fixation of fees shall be in accordance with the norms/guidelines prescribed by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies. The UGC has also issued the UGC (Institutions Deemed-to- be Universities) Regulations 2010. Para 6.5 of these Regulations provides that, “the level of the fees charged for the courses offered in deemed-to-be universities shall have a reasonable relation to the cost of running the course. The fee structure shall be displayed in the prospectus and on the institution’s website”. 
The Government has also introduced the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010 in the Lok Sabha which provides for the prohibition of certain unfair practices in technical educational institutions, medical educational institutions and universities including private colleges and universities to protect the interest of the students admitted and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It also provides for criminal liability for charging capitation fee or donations or for charging fees over and above what is disclosed in the prospectus or the website. 

The Central Government is also implementing Means-cum-Merit Scholarship to meritorious students. Similarly the University Grants Commission (UGC) is also providing scholarships and fellowships to SC, ST, minorities and other meritorious candidates. The Central Government has launched a Scheme to provide full interest subsidy on educational loans for students belonging to economically weaker sections (with parental family income from all sources up to Rs.4.5 lakh annually) from Scheduled Banks for pursuing courses of studies in professional/technical streams from recognised institutions in India. The scheme is effective from the academic year 2009-2010. The Scheme is based solely on income criteria and not social background. The details of the Scheme are available on this Ministry`s website at www.education.nic.in. Central Universities and Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) are providing full fee waiver for all SC and ST students.

Further, the All India Council for Technical education (AICTE) implements the scheme on “Tuition Fee Waiver scheme for Women, Economically Backward and Physically Handicapped Meritorious Students” under which, tuition fee waiver is provided to women, economically backward and physically handicapped meritorious students pursuing degree/diploma level technical education. Details of the scheme are available at http://www.aicte-india.org/tefwhws.htm. Top of Form Bottom of Form