Minister favours Central Act on CET fee structure

Minister of State for Medical Education, Dr Sharanprakash Patil on Wednesday said the Centre can assist Karnataka in the implementation of the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006, with a parliamentary legislation to fix the fee structure for professional colleges.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Patil indirectly suggested that the State government was finding it increasingly difficult to convince private managements to part with additional seats without increasing the present fee structure.

“While the 2006 Act can be implemented by the State, in the interest of students it would be better if the Centre brings out a legislation on conducting a common entrance exam for the whole country and fee fixation to professional colleges,” he said.

He said if the Centre did not step in to hold a common entrance exam, then the present crisis will continue year after year. All the states have conveyed their apprehensions in this regard to the Centre, he added.

The minister said there have been two rounds of meetings with private college managements, and another round of meeting was scheduled for January 20.
50 per cent reservation
The Act provides that private professional colleges earmark 50 per cent of the seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. The government had kept the Act in abeyance stating it would be implemented for the academic year 2015-16.
Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association Secretary M K Panduranga Shetty told Deccan Herald that the government was not showing any ability in implementing the Act.

“We have no objections in the implementation of the Act. We want it to be implemented in its letter and spirit. Our problem is that the government, besides seeking quota in private colleges, also intends to introduce multiple fee structure,” he said.