IITs likely to hike fees

After the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), the nation's premier IITs may see a hike in tuition fees, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh replied in affirmative when asked in Rajya Sabha whether Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) had also proposed to increase their fee on the lines of IIMs.

He said that "the Standing Committee of IIT Council (SCIC) has recommended an increase in the tuition fee for B Tech and M Tech courses."

The Board of Governors (BoG) of six IIMs located at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode had decided to increase the fees of the Post Graduate Programme from the next academic year 2008-2010.

Singh, however, did not say what quantum of fee hike at IITs is being considered or when a decision would be taken.

To a separate question, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Daggubati Purandareswari said there was no proposal before the government as of now to set up an independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education.

"This (setting up of a regulatory body) requires wide consultations with various ministries and departments involved. No consensus has been reached as yet (on the issue)," she said, adding the regulator would not be set up unless a consensus was reached.

The National Board of Accreditation under the AICTE and National Assessment and Accreditation Council of the UGC review course curriculum and facilities at institutes before giving accreditation, she said.