UET proposes 200-300 percent raise in tution

LAHORE: The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) has proposed to raise tuition fees per month for the first 1,340 students out of its total 2,000 students to Rs1,500 from Rs750 and Rs4,500 from Rs750 for the remaining 660 students.

Dean of Mechanical Engineering Prof Dr Saleem Abid Tabassum told The Express Tribune that UET had sent its proposals to the Higher Education Department to raise fees in order to meet its deficit of Rs165.921 million. He said that the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif could agree with UET’s proposals or reject them.

The syndicate on July 23 approved the annual budget of the university for 2010-2011. According to officials, the total income 2010-2011 has been estimated at Rs 1,910.244 million. The expenditure was tallied at Rs2,076.165 million resulting in a deficit of Rs165.921 million.

An estimated development budget of Rs670 million has also been passed for several UET campuses and Rs160 million has been earmarked for faculty, development of infrastructure and the induction of new equipment.

UET Deputy Registrar of Treasurers’ Office Muhammad Pervaiz Vaseer said that a budget shortfall of Rs165.921 million had occurred mainly due to the recent raise in pays, pensions and allowances announced by the government.

Vaseer said that the Higher Education Commission had granted Rs786 million per annum to the UET, adding that the UET would bear the extra cost of Rs75 million in terms of increasing salaries, pensions and health allowances for the faculty.

He said that earlier every UET student had to pay Rs6,500 after every six months. This included tuition fee, transport costs and utility expenses. Dr Tabassum said that UET had submitted the proposals after intense deliberations on the issue.

Sumair Hameed, who teaches at the physics department in a private engineering institution said that the UET had proposed to raise tuition fee by Rs4,500 for a third of its students. He said that this was obvious discrimination.

Dr Tabassum said that top students usually received admission to the university’s main campus two thirds of the students (1,340) would still be paying only Rs1,500 tuition per month. He said that UET was already charging double the tuition fee from its students at its constituent colleges like Rachna College of Engineering and Technology and from its Kala Shah Kako campus.

“Out of UETs’ 2,000 seats the students who score low on merit are accommodated in these constituent campuses,” he said.

“Before the new proposals, a student at UET had paid Rs6,500 for six moths and a student at Rachna campus in the same category had to pay Rs13,000 for the same time period,” he added.

“If the fees have to be raised it makes sense to raise them for all 2,000 seats,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2010.