S Vignesh, 2nd yr engg student:
Certainly, yes. The present education system seems to favour the elite and the rich. This is proved by the increase in the number of self-financing engineering and even arts and science courses.
Rajendra Prasad, alumnus, English, MCC:
Yes. Even government-affiliated courses in arts and science stream cost an average of Rs 6,000-8,000 which is still a big amount for certain sections of people. My father is a mason, and regular construction work alone can fetch money. At other times, it is 50-50.
Mathivanan, ITI student:
It is just because of high costs that I coudn't get admitted to an engineering college. And, I had to opt for an ITI course which I understand is the best
option for people who cannot afford engineering and medicine courses due to high costs.
T S Krithika, MBA,VIT:
It is out of reach. Especially college education has been quite costly for the past few years. Management quota and the self-financing concept colleges have led to a situation of a costly education scenario, thus making it beyond the reach of the poor and the underprivileged.
Name withheld on request, (student of homoeopathy):
Yes. Education is getting out of the reach of the poor. I was admitted to this course by way of a payment seat which costs around Rs 50,000 in fees alone. Other than this, most private engineering and medical colleges compel their students to commute through their college bus though there are cheaper means of transport such as government bus and own vehicles. This way each student ends up paying an extra Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 a year. Recently, three students were refused permission to enter the college and made to stand outside for not paying up this fee. This incident happened in an engineering college near Chennai, and was sorted out only after the intervention of the
Vice-Chancellor of Anna
University. Moreover, we are also forced to buy new books, that too from the college, by paying another Rs 5,000. Put together, an engineering or a medical student ends up paying Rs 60,000-70,000 per year. How can you then make education affordable for the poor? And the arts and the science streams are no different either.
V Ramakrishnan, speaking on behalf of his 8-yr-old boy:
Certainly. Even a Central government employee such as me finds it difficult to meet many requirements from the school my son is presently studying in. They are always in need of money and request for it through some means or the other. Once it is for
building construction, the next time it is for some programme. This is the case of most private schools. When a middle-class government like me finds it so difficult, how can a poor person afford education?
Dharmanand Pandey, economics, Gurunanak College:
Yes. It is a costly affair and is out of reach of the poor. Every course is becoming costly day by day and only people with a lot of cash reserves can afford such education. Just look at the number of engineering colleges in and around the city and the students studying in them.
M Raja, alumnus, MCC:
Then what? I paid around Rs 60,000 as fees for an M.A. course offered in the self-finance stream. The government seems not committed towards providing more aid and this would lead to commercialisation of education. Then, people with cash alone can afford education. The poor would be pushed to a situation of looking up to government colleges where the quality is very bad. It is high time the
government took steps to tackle this issue.
Benny, employee, call center:
I think the situation is not too alarming. Nowadays we think of engineering and medicine alone as education and these are certainly costly courses. Therefore, other courses such as arts and sciences should be concentrated upon and given at cheaper rates. Running behind professional courses would itself make education costlier.
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