Cap on College Fees

A couple of days back I had commented that the Indian education system was in such a bad state, that a very large percentage of those that emerge from it can't reason. They can remember, but can't apply. Refer to the India Today Report . Here is another example of that.

The Hindu reports that the AP Government is planning to restrict the fees charged by Corporate Colleges & I see the congratulatory messages on this brilliant move pouring into news papers like Deccan Chronicle.

Can't these people see that if you successfully cap prices ( the previous attempt was unsuccessful as these colleges found a loophole), either supply will disappear, or will be of inferior quality? These corporate colleges are in the business of education. Recognize that ! You squeeze their profits, they just move to a different business and you will be stuck with finding "good" colleges for yourself / your kid(s). Of course if you are an offspring of the ones making these laws or the ones holding the pen to sign them, you can get a seat in the few colleges that would remain by using your pop's/mom's influence. For the rest of the folks, get ready to face enormous pressure to secure good marks in your 10th standard exam.

And anyone who thinks that with the kind of fees mentioned below they still will have a college to go to is living in a dream world..

Prescribed fee

He said that tuition fee of Rs. 451 and Rs. 495 had been prescribed for the first and second year for 2006-07 in private aided junior colleges and Rs. 903 and Rs. 993 for the first and second year in private unaided/cooperative junior colleges.

Here is a back of pad calculation
Lets say you need a student teacher ratio of 30 to have some semblance of an education. So even if all the money paid by the students goes towards teacher's salary, the teacher's salary would be a princely sum of 993*30= 29,790 a year or a monthly salary of Rs 2,482. And you expect some one to teach you 11th & 12th standard subjects for a salary less than what an average house maid in the city makes ?

And people still find this move something to congratulate the government about ?