File picture of a management college in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, March 12: Colleges offering MBA and MCA programmes in the state have urged the technical education department to finalise fee revision in the institutes before the admission season begins.

The fee structure committee, constituted under the Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007, revises the fees every three years on the basis of audited accounts of the colleges.

At least 32 MBA and MCA colleges applied for fee revision, when the department had invited proposals in January 2013. One year hence, there has been no revision in the fee. With the OJEE entrance exams only a few weeks away, the colleges apprehend loss of another year.

“We have lost one year and the next admission season is only a few weeks away. More than a dozen communications have been made to the department, and yet there is no result. This is so pathetic,” said secretary of the Odisha Management Colleges’ Association Pratap kumar Balbantray.

“We were forced to admit students of OJEE 2013 under the old fee pattern, and now there will be OJEE 2014. What is the meaning of the entire process if we are not able to revise our fee structure at the right time,” Balbantray said.

“Moreover, the OJEE 2014 information brochure will have the details of fee for each college, and thus, the department should make efforts to complete the formalities immediately, so that the new fee can be updated in the 2014 brochure,” college authorities demanded.

At present, the MBA and MCA colleges are charging an annual amount of 70,000 to Rs 90,000 per year, and the colleges have applied for a hike of 30 per cent.

“The expenses have increased and charges of various services have also increased. It has become very difficult to manage the everyday expenses of the college. Most importantly, we do not want to compromise on the quality of faculty in our colleges. Good faculty will obviously mean better salaries. Similarly, exposure visits for students and placement tie-ups also involve lot of expenses,” said Sudhanshu Dash, owner of a private MBA college.

In another development, officials at the fee structure committee admitted the delay for administrative reasons and said the revised fee structure would shortly be announced.