Several students from Gurunanak Higher Education Institution in Ibrahimpatnam are protesting about the fee receipts they have received, which are written on paper and lack proper identity cards. The students say that after seven months of their admissions, they have not completed a single semester, and the institutions did not tell them that it was awaiting a government order to confirm their university status. Amidst these allegations, the State Education Department sources said that Telangana State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018 has specific provisions related to fee regulations in the universities established under the Act.
According to Chapter VI (Regulation of University), proviso 32 mandates the ‘Admissions and Fee Structure’ of the private universities established under the Act. Proviso 32(1) gives full autonomy, along with full disclosure and transparency, for starting various academic programmes and the admissions process thereof. Meanwhile, subsections 2 and 3 of Section 32 mandate the rules of reservation in admissions. The fee fixation to various courses shall be done by a Fee Fixation Committee constituted by a university formed under the Act, according to Subsection 4 of Section 32.
The students are now demanding clarification from the state government on the issue of fees collected by the Guru Nanak institution and others established under the Act. However, SED officials are yet to clarify the matter, leaving students unsure who they should approach. It is also worth noting that the fee regulatory committee is headed by a former judge but has remained silent over these complaints.
