Telangana to finalise new fee structure for engineering colleges to meet AI, emerging tech demands

The decision will be based on a detailed assessment of colleges’ teaching quality, infrastructure, and staff to ensure institutions are equipped to provide AI-ready education that meets global standards.

Focus on world-class standards

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has emphasised that engineering colleges in the state must compete with leading global institutions, especially in fields like AI that are shaping the future job market.

The government plans to build a structured system to support colleges in upgrading their teaching standards, lab facilities, and overall infrastructure in line with AICTE guidelines, the officials said.

Comprehensive evaluation process

The new fee structure will take into account various parameters, including the qualifications and salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff, lab and building facilities, and future development plans of colleges. This approach is aimed at ensuring that fees are justified by the quality of education and facilities offered to students.

Supreme Court judgments to guide fees

The state government has decided to implement the Supreme Court judgments in the Islamic Academy of Education vs. Karnataka and PA Inamdar vs. Maharashtra cases.

These judgments mandate that factors like infrastructure, faculty salaries, and institutional development plans should be considered while fixing fees, to protect student interests and maintain educational standards.

Review of vigilance reports

The Vigilance and Enforcement Department had previously conducted inspections of engineering colleges, assessing their infrastructure and staff adequacy, and submitted detailed reports.

However, no action was taken by the previous government, which allegedly showed favouritism by allowing some colleges to hike fees while ignoring others.

Committee to recommend new fee structure

In this context, the present government has decided to constitute a committee to examine the Vigilance reports and evaluate the quality of education provided by engineering colleges before finalising the new fee structure. The committee’s recommendations are expected to ensure a fair, transparent, and quality-focused fee regime, the officials said.

Counselling to proceed as scheduled

Meanwhile, the government has assured students that the engineering counselling process will commence within the stipulated time frame to avoid any disruptions in admissions for the upcoming academic year.