Hundreds of students of Pondicherry University on Thursday boycotted classes and marched towards the administrative building on the campus, to mark their protest against the fee hike and transport fees introduced for day scholars.
The students, belonging to various departments, assembled on the campus at around 10 a.m. responding to a call by the Students Council to ‘Occupy Admin’ block till the fee hike was withdrawn.
Parichay Yadav, president of Pondicherry University Students Council alleged that academic fees for most of the courses were increased disproportionately last year. In addition, transport fees of ₹4,000 per annum were introduced for day scholars. The previous Students Council had opposed this fee hike and some amount of fees in MBA, MCA, MSc. Computer Science and PhD programmes were reduced. Though the Vice-Chancellor constituted a grievances committee to look into the demands, the committee gave false promises and deviated from the demands, he alleged.
Mr. Yadav said that the Students Council consistently followed up the issue but the administration was adamant in not accpeting their demands. This attitude of the administration clearly demeans the ongoing students struggle that strives to make education accessible and affordable, he said.
The Students Council, along with day-scholar students, not only questioned this newly introduced ‘transport’ fee but also provided factual data to show how there has been an increase of even 225 % in some departments, he pointed out. However, the administration chose to go forward with the anti-student, anti-marginalised section move, he alleged.
The hike in fees will deny a larger section of society access to a Central university, said V. Kuralanban, secretary of the Students Council. The students will continue with the protest till the fee hike is withdrawn, he added.