Thiruvananthapuram: While teachers have the freedom to design courses as per the new four-year degree programme, autonomous colleges are faced with a crisis as Mahatma Gandhi university is charging a hefty amount to approve the syllabus thus defined. The university proposes that autonomous colleges must pay a fee of Rs 60,780 per course to approve the undergraduate course syllabus. The same amount has to be paid even if the autonomous colleges accept the syllabus prepared by the university.

Although there are autonomous colleges under all universities, such a provision exists only for those coming under the aegis of Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU). College authorities said that in a meeting chaired by minister R Bindu on October 18, 2023, it was proposed that universities shall not levy fees for syllabus approval.

Fr Jose John, secretary of the Autonomous College Consortium said that a general body meeting will be held in Kochi on Friday to discuss the same and if the decision of the university is not withdrawn, legal aid will be sought.

Meanwhile, Dr C.T Aravind Kumar, Vice Chancellor of MGU said that there is no clash with the colleges and that the concerns raised by them will be addressed and considered sympathetically.