Staff Reporter
The exorbitant fee structure of Islamabad Capital Territory colleges in comparison to the provinces has made it difficult for the students of low income groups to afford acquiring higher education.
The exorbitant fee structure has badly affected the enrollment of these colleges due to dropout and returning of students to the colleges of their respective provinces.
Hundreds of local students, particularly from rural areas of federal capital, are incredibly poor and are compelled to miss out on a college education due to high fee.
According to an official source, the fee structure of four-year BS Program and Associate Degree Program (ADP) of ICT colleges is beyond the means and paying capacity of the parents of the students.
The students are charged fee ranges from Rs.19100 to Rs. 22100 in the first semester while in the subsequent semesters around Rs. 15000.
The provinces which generally have less resources, are charging a very affordable fee which is 400 percent less than the ICT colleges.
Consequently, students influx desirous of admission in ADP or BS program are heading to colleges in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The sister city Rawalpindi is attracting students from Islamabad and if the trend continues, Federal Government colleges will be deserted and infrastructure underutilized.
The crisis for low grade and low- paid government employees living in and across the capital has further deepened as they are compelled to send their children to villages located under the jurisdiction of Punjab adding hassle of commuting to far flung Rawalpindi vicinities.
