Student's Federation of India Assam State Committee questions Fee Hike at University Level

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• Aug 9, 2021 | moderator

Guwahati: The Student's Federation of India, Assam State Committee, has questioned the fee hike at University Level.

Amid the Pandemic, the world is going through a significant financial dropdown for the last two years. In such a situation, Tezpur University decides to make some fee hike in academics. 

The Student's Federation of India (SFI) of Assam has asked the University to reconsider its fee hike decision and return to the earlier fee structures.

SFI Assam State committee general secretary Nirangkush Nath said in a press statement, "In the light of the Covid 19 and the financial crisis in the nation, the UGC has directed universities and institutes to be considerate concerning fees. Instead, if feasible, may consider giving alternative payment choices to learners till the condition turns to normal."

"However, Tezpur University had followed nothing as per the UGC directive related to fee compensation. Rather, the University management is ungracious in their approach and has increased many fees to Rs 1200-Rs 2000 across different disciplines."

Based on the University website information, the University Administration has raised the PhD pays by Rs.1,350, Integrated MSc by Rs 2,000, Integrated M. Com by Rs1,200, including MA and M Com by Rs 1,500. 

The expansion has been on Library, Health, Laboratory, Electricity, Research Development front disciplines. 

Nirangkush Nath stated that students have not been on campus due to COVID lockdown. In such a condition, an increase in the categories mentioned above presents no reasonable basis. 

Necessarily, the students should have been given fewer fees as consumables' value has declined due to lockdown. Moreover, the notice for fee payment was published on July 30, which appears to be a Friday. Therefore, students got just two working days to clear the fees. The students were asked ot pay the fees by August 4, 2021.

More than 200 PHd scholars of the University have not been capable of paying their fees to date. The economic plight of the students has a reality as several scholarships like NET-JRF, ICSSR, etc., are not being distributed timely due to the Pandemic. 

Moreover, even the Institutional Fellowships are not being distributed on time. The students' Council of Tezpur University proposed bringing up the topic to the administration, though the administration is inflexible on their insensitivity, stated Nath.