Hike in IIT fees: Is it justified?

This is a whopping 400 per cent rise from the current fees of Rs 50,000 per year.

The idea behind hiking the fees is that the country's most prestigious engineering institutes need not depend on government grants for recurring expenses, make the IITs self sufficient and pave the way for more autonomy.

It will also mean the IITs will not have to seek the government's permission to create faculty and non-faculty posts.

To justify this five-fold fee hike, the Kakodkar committee has cited the fee structure at the Indian Institute of Managements.

The IIMs charge fees ranging from Rs 300,000 to Rs 650,000 a year for its post-graduate programmes.

In the case of the IITs, the fee hike will affect undergraduate students.

Even though the Kakodkar committee has promised low interest rates for loans for students from the economically backward classes, those from the middle class will incur 12 per cent interest if they seek a loan long before they begin their careers.

With inflation going through the roof, a liability like this will add to the aam aadmi's burden.

Do you believe the suggested hike in the fees is justified?

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