Surprise Inspections by FRA Planned for Colleges Amid Fee Complaints

Aug 30, 2025 - 18:30
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Surprise Inspections by FRA Planned for Colleges Amid Fee Complaints

For the first time in the state, Maharashtra’s Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) has announced that unannounced inspections of professional colleges will be undertaken from October. The decision has been prompted by a rise in complaints from parents and students, who have alleged that colleges were charging excess fees and submitting misleading information in their proposals.

The FRA, which oversees the regulation of fees in more than 4,000 professional colleges across the state, has so far relied primarily on documents submitted by institutions. Courses in engineering, medicine, pharmacy, and management are covered under its ambit, with fees often running into several lakhs of rupees. Institutions are required to justify these charges through detailed proposals, including infrastructure details, faculty strength, educational facilities, and financial records. However, it has been found that many institutions have exaggerated their claims, particularly in terms of faculty salaries and numbers, creating uncertainty in the fee approval process.

Due to the absence of a verification mechanism, reliance was earlier placed only on the submitted paperwork. Reports of fee irregularities and persistent complaints from students and parents have now compelled the FRA to take stronger measures. Physical inspections will be carried out along with the assistance of subject experts, so that claims in the proposals may be verified against ground realities.

It has been conveyed by FRA secretary Arjun Chikhale that inspections would begin with those colleges against which complaints have already been registered. Students were urged to approach the authority if they believed that excessive fees were being demanded. In the case of technical institutions, help from the Directorate of Technical Education would also be sought.

The inspections are expected to reveal discrepancies and help prevent unjustified increases in fees. Strict action has been indicated against institutions found charging beyond the sanctioned amount or billing students for facilities that do not exist.

The FRA has itself faced challenges, particularly due to a shortage of subject experts and resources, which has limited its capacity to scrutinise fee proposals. Previously, fees were fixed only on the basis of the documents submitted. Through the introduction of physical inspections, greater transparency is now aimed for, with the objective of protecting students from undue financial pressure.

The initiative has been welcomed by Kalpesh Yadav, state joint secretary of Yuva Sena, who expressed the view that the move could provide much-needed relief to students. At the same time, concerns were raised by him about the lack of experts on the FRA panel. The approval of more than 900 colleges in the recent past was also challenged by him, with demands made for those approvals to be withdrawn on the grounds of procedural violations. Yadav further noted that similar measures had failed earlier because of insufficient manpower, and doubts were raised about whether this initiative would succeed.

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