JU Mass Comm students raise objections over high fee structure

The course was introduced last year and the students are now in the second year of their MA course.

"We had introduced self-financing PG course in Journalism and Mass Communication last year. However, students pursuing the course have raised objections over the fee structure.

We have formed a committee to examine their demands and until there is a decision on this, we have kept in abeyance the admission process," pro vice-chancellor, JU Pradip Ghosh said.

It may be mentioned that the total fees for the two year MA course is Rs 60,000 (Rs 30,000 each year), which the students claim is much higher in comparison to other universities that run a similar course.

The 37 odd students, who are presently pursuing the course, have demanded that the course fees should be similar to that of regular Arts courses that run in the university. The fees for these courses according to the students is Rs 1,235 per year.

"We have had no internships. There has been only a handful of seminars. The infrastructure is not up to the mark. The library that we have remain closed most of the time and we face a lot of difficulty in accessing books," Sohanu Ghosh, a student said adding that they will submit a fresh deputation to the university authorities along with their demands soon.

A student pointed out that the other universities like Calcutta University, Rabindra Bharati University and Viswa Bharati University offer the same course but charge much less fees. "They have much better infrastructure in comparison to JU," a student said.

"We will urge the authorities to present a clear cut picture for charging such an exorbitant fees even when the infrastructure is lacking," a student alleged.

The students, who had sought admission in the two year course, have secured 50 percent marks in graduation and then cracked an entrance test.