Bengaluru: The Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association (KUPECA) has urged Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) to mandatorily allot credit points for skills that colleges promise.
The association put forth the demand at a recent meeting to sign the annual consensual agreement with the govt. If it is enforced, the colleges will be forced to deliver what they promise.
Colleges can charge Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000, depending on the skill training they provide. However, many colleges, despite charging fees, do not provide said training. At a recent meeting to sign the annual consensual agreement with the govt, the association urged VTU to make credits for skills mandatory in colleges that charge extra fees for such training. With this, the colleges will be forced to deliver on what they promise.
“Make skills mandatory by giving credits for them. In that case, colleges have to develop the skills lab, which is different from the academic lab. Let VTU visit the colleges to check on the skills labs provided. Otherwise, neither students nor the management will be serious about skills,” said Manjunath Bhandary, who represented KUPECA at the meeting.
VTU said it would look into the recommendation. “We need to discuss with our decision-making bodies like the board of studies and the executive council. Once we receive the resolution of this meeting from the govt, we will discuss it and take a call,” said Vidyashankar S, vice-chancellor of VTU.
Fees in private colleges to go up 7.5%
The fee for KCET seats at type-1 private engineering colleges will go up from Rs 81,800 to Rs 87,935 and at type-2 colleges they will rise from Rs 91,000 to Rs 97,825, excluding university registration and other processing fees.
While the colleges demanded a 15% hike, the govt permitted an increase of 7.5%. KUPECA cited an increase in teachers’ salary and maintenance charges for the same. Last year too, fees were hiked by 7.5%. There was also a 5% fee hike for govt engineering college seats. However, for the 2026-27 academic year, there is no hike in govt college fees.
The university fee is Rs 10,610, and the colleges are allowed to charge an additional fee of up to Rs 20,000 under the ‘other fees’ category.
However, All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) has slammed the fee hike. “Increasing educational fees every year based on market calculations turns education into a profitable commodity for private institutions. Year after year, even middle-class students are finding themselves distanced from engineering, leading to a decline in admissions for engineering courses. The govt must immediately withdraw this fee hike and fix fees that are affordable for everyone,” said Ajay Kamath, state secretary, AIDSO-Karnataka.
