Free edu scheme triggers funds crunch concern among Odisha’s aided colleges

Bhubaneswar: Days after the govt announced free education from KG to PG, non-govt aided colleges have expressed concern over the loss of income. The fees these colleges used to earn from students went into infrastructure development, daily expenses and salaries of teachers engaged by college managements.The state has around 1,150 aided degree and junior colleges under the 488 and 662 categories. The govt provides salaries to block grant and grant-in-aid teachers, but not to teachers engaged directly by college managements.Colleges collect money from students through admission fees and use it for infrastructure development, daily expenses, laboratory requirements and other expenses. These colleges have now urged the govt to clarify who will bear the cost of students’ fees.Prashant Pradhan, president of the 488 category aided college teachers and employees’ coordination committee, said colleges collect fees for tuition, exams, NSS, Scouts and Guides and Youth Red Cross, return of matriculate fees, degree registration as well as development fees and other charges during admission.“As the govt has made education free, students will not pay admission fees. Colleges do not have any other source of income.

How will we manage expenses without funds? Who will pay this amount now? There is no clarity or standard operating procedure for this,” Pradhan said.He said colleges conduct different exams and have to procure laboratory equipment and chemicals, buy library books, pay electricity bills and meet expenses on stationery and other needs.Golak Nayak, president of the 662 category aided college teachers’ association, said the govt does not provide adequate regular teachers to colleges, forcing managements to engage guest faculty.“Colleges pay the salaries of guest faculty. We used to raise funds for this through admission fees. Now we do not know from where we will get the money,” Nayak said.Higher education director Kali Prasanna Mohapatra said the govt will reimburse students’ admission fees. “Students will not pay any fee, but we will collect admission receipts from colleges and make the payment. An SOP will be prepared for this. We will resolve the matter very soon,” Mohapatra said.