Students protest against fee hike by IP Univ, CM assures rollback

Demanding a rollback of retrospective fee hike at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU or IPU) hundreds of students, under the aegis of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), on Sunday took out a protest march from Civil Lines to the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.   

The students have been irked ever since colleges affiliated to the GGSIPU were directed by the Delhi government to  receive “hiked fee” of Rs 5,000-25,000 from students for academic session beginning 2013 till  the completion  of their four-or-five year courses.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal  has assured of helping the students. The Chief Minister took Twitter to send across his message to the distressed students.  “Learnt that fee of all IP colleges has been hiked. Students agitated,” he tweeted.

“My dear students, please don’t worry. I have asked the education department to roll it back. Study well. Best wishes for your exams,” the Chief Minister added.

Students and their parents have opposed the revised fee structure. They termed the back date steep hike as an attempt by the  government to help  institutions to  earn more  money to meet their business interests.

A student said, “We have already paid our fee for the entire session, especially the final-year students, who have only two more months to appear for their graduation exams. This is extortion nothing else.”

A notification regarding the proposed hike, issued by  Director (Higher Education) Shiv Kumar,  reads: “The  Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi has decided  that the fee proposed for the academic session 2013-16 by the  State Fee Regulatory Committee be notified  for the period 2014-1... And for courses having a duration  of four and five years, the fee notified by the government will be applicable for the entire duration of the course.”

However, in contrary a notice circulated by the registrar of GGSIPU Rajiv Kale reads that no college should charge hiked fee from students at their own.“It is brought to the notice of all affiliated colleges/institutions that the University is in the process of notifying the revised fee structure, so that the same can be implemented in a uniform manner,” it reads.

The revised fee structure is based on the recommendations of the State Fee Regulatory Committee, set up by the Delhi government on February 1, 2013, to determine the fee  for pursuing courses in private institutions  offering various courses in the national Capital and to perform  the  functions assigned  in the Delhi Professional  Colleges  or Institutions (Prohibition of Capitation Fee, Regulation of  Admission, Fixation  of Non-Exploitative Fee  and Other  Measures to Ensure  Equity  and Excellence) Act, 2007.