New courses in autonomous colleges likely to be in self-financing mode

New courses to be offered by autonomous colleges in Kochi in the new academic year are likely to come under the self-financing mode.

The move comes after the government made it clear that it will not extend financial support and additional teaching posts to these institutions. Sources confirmed to The Hindu that the government has said that the college must bear all the additional financial liabilities arising on account of the autonomy being granted to the aided colleges.

The Higher Education Department has clarified that it will not fund the liabilities incurring out of creating additional posts for the new courses proposed by the colleges. The autonomous colleges will have no option but to offer the new courses under the self-financing mode.

It is learnt that the colleges will have to fix a higher level of fee for these self-financing courses following the government decision. The managements are not complaining as they would get an opportunity to scale up their earnings by charging a higher fee on self-financing programmes.

The principal of an autonomous college in the city said that the government had not been sanctioning regular courses for long in aided colleges. “We have no other option but to come up with attractive courses in the self-financing pattern in the new academic year. But we will tread cautiously and not burn our fingers by acting in haste,” he said.

The Higher Education Department wanted the autonomous colleges to generate its own internal funds to meet the expenses arising out of the new initiatives. It has also urged the managements to tap the funds available under the University Grants Commission and other agencies. The governing councils of the autonomous colleges have already asked the faculty members to come up with innovative research proposals that would get funding from outside.