Pune University Will Be Asked To Reduce Fees, Education Minister Uday Samant To Discuss With Vice Chancellor

Pune, 27th June 2021: Maharashtra’s higher and technical education minister Uday Samant today said that all the universities in the state will reduce fees in the backdrop of the Coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic.

There were demands to reduce charges including library, laboratory, play ground as colleges were closed due to lockdown. The Department of Higher and Technical Education has reduced the fees of government engineering colleges by 25 per cent for 2021-22. However, as no decision has been taken regarding private engineering colleges and other vocational courses, the students’ organizations were demanding the government to intervene.

Speaking to media persons today, Samant said, “The fees of private colleges offering vocational education are fixed by the Fee Regulation Authority (FRA) and the government cannot interfere.  The FRA committee has not been functioning for the past few months but has just been formed. The chairman of the committee will discuss with the students, parents and the institution the issue of a fee reduction.”

Samant further said, “Nagpur University has decided to reduce the fees of affiliated colleges, similarly, all non-agricultural universities including Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) should decide. A meeting will be held with all the vice-chancellors on Monday to discuss the fee reduction. However, as the universities are autonomous, the government will not be able to put pressure on them to reduce fees.”