Fee Reimbursement Dues Go Up

 Mohammed Younus :

Lakhs of students in the State have been literally left in the lurch as their long wait for the release of tuition fee and reimbursement dues amounting to Rs 2,500 crore cumulatively by the government is getting longer. Adding to their travails several college managements have held back the original SSC and intermediate certificates and other documents of eligible students. 

This continues despite a notice being served on college managements by the Commissioner of Collegiate Education some time ago, which clearly stated that severe action would be taken against managements that hold back certificates/documents of students for want of reimbursement dues. As per records available with the Welfare Department, the State government has to release Rs 270 crore for the year 2013-14 and Rs 2,000 crore for academic year 2014-15.

Though the Welfare Department has released some amount for the previous academic year, no amount has been released for the 2014-15 academic year. The most recent release of tuition fee and reimbursement were made in March this year. According to existent procedures, reimbursement amounts are transferred directly to the accounts of college managements and tuition fee as maintenance fee is given to students.

SFI State secretary B Sambasiva said that due to delay in reimbursement of arrears, students are being made to undergo harrowing moments by college managements. He said, “Students have been denied their certificates/documents for lack of reimbursements and many could not pursue their dreams of higher education as managements have remained adamant on their decision.”
In March, government released Rs 434.14 crore towards scholarships and Rs 159.16 crore as maintenance fee.

Similarly, about Rs 100 crore was released under tuition fee and Rs 9 crore as maintenance fee. With an increase in the number of students this academic year, State government needs to release at least Rs 2,500 crore or more under the fee reimbursement and scholarships at various levels. ABVP State secretary J Niranjan said State government was deliberately delaying the process of issuing fee arrears. He said despite several agitations and representations in this issue, arrears were not being released.

He said, “Students have been subjected to harassment due to non-payment of fee arrears across the State. College managements have been holding back certificates of students.”
The number of eligible candidates at various levels in the previous academic year was more or less 7 lakh and it is nearly 13 lakh for the academic year 2014-15.