Panel to fix fees for teaching courses

CHENNAI: The government has constituted a committee headed by retired Justice NV Balasubramanian to fix the fee structure for teacher education courses like B.Ed, / M.Ed / B.P.Ed / M.P.Ed / Diploma courses in self-financing colleges. Each institution must place before this committee its proposed fee structure before the date of issue of Notification of the Academic Year along with all the relevant documents, the GO issued in this connection said. The panel will decide whether the fee proposed by the institutions are justified; whether they are profiteering or charging capitation fee. It will be at liberty to approve the fee structure or to propose some other fee.The fee approved/fixed by the panel shall be binding for a 3-year period at the end of which the institution can apply for revision. Once fees are fixed, the institution cannot charge either directly or indirectly any other amount over and above the amount fixed as fee. If any other amount is charged,  the same would amount to charging of capitation fee, the GO said.The panel will comprise the Higher Education Secretary, a Cost Accountant, the Finance Secretary, the Joint Director (NSS), the School Education Department, KR Shanmugam, Professor, Madras School of Economics, M Vadivelan, Correspondent, Varvan Vadivelan B.Ed College, Dharmapuri, and Director of Teacher Education Research and Training, School Education Department.