Thiruvananthapuram, Monday 22 June 2009: The latest round of talks, held here late on Monday, between the government and representatives of managements of private self-financing engineering and medical colleges on the fee in government seats in these colleges remained inconclusive.

During talks with representatives of engineering colleges, the government is understood to have expressed its readiness to consider a fee of Rs.32,000 for the government seats. The representatives of the managements informed Education Minister M.A. Baby that they cannot consider a fee lower than Rs.40,000.

Earlier Private Self-financing Engineering Colleges Association president G.P.C. Nayar said here that if talks broke down, the colleges would admit students to all seats and would charge a fee between Rs.70,000 and Rs.75,000 for all seats except the NRI quota.

In their talks with the government, the representatives of the managements of medical colleges demanded that fee in government quota should be proportionate to the income of the candidate.

There are several cases where children hailing from rich families — including sons and daughters of senior government officials — producing false income certificates to claim fee benefits.