Odisha: Student unions demand fee waiver

BHUBANESWAR: Student organisations like Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students Union of India (NSUI) and All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO) have urged both the Centre and the state to waive school and college fees this year.
ABVP state secretary Sashikant Mishra said the economic uncertainty had caused deep distress to many families and it would not be fair to expect students to be able to pay fees this year.
"Neither the state nor the Centre has taken any step to address the problems of the students. We want a special package for the education sector," he said, adding that the fees of both private and government institutions should be waived for a year for students whose parents' annual income is less than Rs 6 lakh.
"We also request the government to sanitize the institutions that have been used as quarantine centres before reopening them," he said.
NSUI Odisha has already submitted a memorandum to Union HRD ministry, the chief minister, the school and mass education minister and the higher education minister seeking a fee waiver for four months (March to June) and relaxation in payment of fees for six months from July. Niranjan Das of NSUI said, "Livelihoods and small businesses are badly affected and it is difficult for people to pay school and college fees."
AIDSO state president Ganesh Tripathy said they would hold protests at all district headquarters towns seeking a fee waiver. "People have faced a lockdown, a pandemic and a cyclone. They are facing massive economic hardship," he added.
On April 10, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had advised private educational institutions to consider a reduction or deferment of school fees from April to June. "This will help parents whose income has been affected," he had said.