Excess fees collection: Tamil Nadu govt to inspect engineering, polytechnic colleges

Following complaints, the Tamil Nadu government will inspect technical institutions, including engineering colleges, across the State to seek information on excess fees collection.

As engineering and polytechnic colleges opened for first-year students, fees were already collected by institutions according to the type of courses.

This year about 95,000 students, seeking engineering seats in the State, were given provisional allotments in Anna University and in its affiliated of over 400 colleges across the State. Similarly, about 50,000 students were admitted to various polytechnic colleges to pursue several diploma courses.

"However, there were complaints that certain institutions have collected excess fees against the prescribed amount for the academic year 2021-2022," a senior official from the Higher Education Department said.

He said based on the complaints, the fee inquiry committee, comprising high-level authorities from the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) as members, will be immediately taking up excess fee collection issues by conducting inspections.

Stating that physical inspection would be conducted to verify the online fees receipts and bank transactions of the institution, he said "Similarly, the authorities will also ensure that fees structure of each and every course were legible available in the notice board of the institutions."

Pointing out that action will be initiated against institutions, which had collected excess fees from the students, the official said, "The institution, which received more than the allocated amount, will be strictly asked to return the excess fees that was collected".

The official said that in addition to the collection of the excess fee, the inspection authorities concerned will also inspect in connection with the collection of capitation amount from the first-year students.

"The authorities will also ensure that students belonging to families where there are no graduates in the family and admitted to affiliated engineering colleges under government quota have received tuition fee concession as per the prescribed norms," he said.

The official also pointed out that students, who got admitted to the colleges, do not come forward to lodge complaints about the collection of the excess fee due to fear that they might be targeted by the institution.