FRA to conduct surprise inspection in colleges from Oct

For the first time, the State Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) has decided to conduct surprise inspections of professional colleges in Maharashtra from October. The move comes after an unexpected surge in complaints received by students and parents about overcharging fees by colleges and providing misleading information in their proposals.

The FRA supervises the fee structure of more than 4,000 professional colleges in the state, from engineering, medical, and pharmacy to management courses, which range in price several lakhs of rupees. Colleges are forced to submit detailed proposals with information regarding their infrastructure, staff, education facilities, and financial records in order to justify their fee structure. However, FRA officials have found that institutions can exaggerate facilities and give misleading values in regard to faculty figures and salaries, making decision-making regarding fees uncertain.

As there was no stipulation for the FRA to verify the colleges' assertions personally, the authority had to rely on the records submitted by the colleges. However, with frequent complaints from students and multiple reports highlighting fee anomalies, the FRA has now made a decision to carry out college inspections in addition to subject experts to verify by cross-checking the proposals with what exactly exists on the ground.

Inspections will begin in October, beginning with colleges which have been cited in complaints, FRA secretary Arjun Chikhale stated. "If students feel that they are being overcharged fees, they should approach the FRA so that those colleges will be inspected first," he said. While inspecting technical colleges, the FRA will also utilize the Directorate of Technical Education.

Officials are confident that the surprise visits will reveal discrepancies and govern unwarranted fee hikes. Institutions found to be overcharging beyond the proposed fees or charging for facilities that have not been established could face being dealt with severely by action. Students have long complained of being overcharged, but lacking sufficient verifications, the FRA could not seek action.

The commission has also been asked to examine fee proposals because it lacks subject matter experts and resources. Fees were decided only on the basis of documents earlier. Now, with physical inspections, the FRA will ensure that it is transparent and protects students from unnecessary charges.

Yuva Sena's state joint secretary Kalpesh Yadav welcomed the move, saying that it had the potential to bring much-needed relief to thousands of students. But he lamented that there were no experts on the panel of FRA to cross-check the facts. Yadav also raised questions about the entire fee approval process. "The FRA gave a nod to more than 912 colleges between October 31 and August 15, which we are seeking to be withdrawn as it is contrary to the rules," he alleged. He also stated that the plan would not succeed because the same occurred previously when such measures were taken but they failed because of the FRA's insufficiency in man-power.