Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey on Monday said the Government is working on several regulatory measures to keep the cost of higher education affordable.
According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), a survey conducted in the 2011-12 financial year on the Household Consumer Expenditure, the percentage of monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) on education to the household MPCE is 3.5 % and 6.9% for rural and urban India respectively.
In a written reply to a Lok Sabha question, the minister stated: “The fee structure within the government universities and colleges is minimal. With a perspective to monitor the fees structure in professional/ technical institutions, The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has introduced Justice Srikishna Committee to supervise the fees structure within the institutions.”
He said this information has been shared with the State Governments. State governments have also set up their board to regulate fees structure in professional and technical institutions.
The considered list of universities must publish the details of their fees structure within their prospectus, according to the University Grants Commission UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations 2016. Also, capitation fee is not allowed in these institutions.
It was stated that the Central Government has no formal regulatory mechanism for schools. Private schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are regulated under CBSE guidelines.
The minister also said that in some States, at the school level, this mechanism exists through administrative guidelines and/or legislations.
