Trichy: Most government aided arts and science colleges in city willfully refrain from displaying fee structure for various under-graduate and post-graduate programmes on websites so they could charge the students a higher amount, it has emerged.While the higher education guidelines specifically mandate publicizing fee structure on websites, a majoirty of the colleges conveniently ignore the rule only to hike the fee indiscriminately.Last week, a section of students at National College Trichy (NCT) objected to the fee raise for aided programmes in the college. It was found that the college management was charging excess fees for PTA and centenary year celebration of the college from students.While the issue has come in the open following protest from students, many aided arts and science colleges continue to do the same. On most occasions, students choose not to complain fearing backlash from the management.“Publishing the fees on website would make the fee structure transparent for all, and the college may not be able to increase it. Further, there are chances that students and parents may oppose if the fee is hiked. Therefore, colleges usually avoid publishing fee structure in the website,” said a senior faculty from a city arts and science college.“Unlike most minority institutions, which receive funds from foreign countries, non-minority colleges have to depend on fee for staff salary and infrastructure development,” said a principal from a non-minority college in the city. Most of the colleges use semester fee as a medium to fetch money, said the principal.Blaming it on slack monitoring and the inaction of higher education department for such violation, an aided faculty said that when he brought the issue to the notice of regional joint director a few months ago, the officer asked to ignore it unless students are creating issues. In most cases, students decide to pay the fee fearing victimisation, said the faculty.