Parents body opposes government move to scrap APHERMC

The members of Parents Association of Andhra Pradesh (PAAP) raised concerns over the State government’s decision to replace A.P. Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APHERMC) with A.P. Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC). They alleged that the move would allow the managements of private institutions to fleece parents.

According to media reports, the government has decided to scrap APHERMC, which was initiated by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government to pressure private institutes not to excessively increase fees. Meanwhile, several college managements have approached the High Court, stating that the Commission does not have the authority to finalise the fees.

After the budget meetings, the A.P. Higher Education Department has started efforts to implement the committee through an ordinance by March 20, 2026. The removal of APHERMC will give college management the flexibility to set the fee structure exorbitantly high, beyond the reach of poor and middle-class parents, PAAP members said.

Speaking about of the plight of parents, PAAP president S. Narahari said, “They see the higher education of their children as a big burden and curse. They have to take out loans to pay the fees for any degree in engineering, pharmacy or medicine in private colleges.”

“The establishment of new government colleges has stalled for the last two decades since 2004. The students are being exploited by corporate institutes. The government should immediately set up government degree and professional colleges with State-of-the-art facilities in every constituency. The focus on private colleges should be shifted to providing quality free education,” he demanded.

“In the absence of government colleges, the private institutions are engaging in education business and exploiting students in the name of autonomous and deemed universities. Despite the lack of minimum facilities and experienced teachers, they are collecting fees in lakh of rupees,” he alleged. The government should regulate the fees at private institutions, instead of lifting the existing regulations, he added.