Facing severe fund crunch, Panjab University has proposed a fee hike of 5% in all traditional and self-financed courses for the upcoming 2020-21 academic session.
The decision was taken on Friday in a meeting of a committee constituted by vice-chancellor Raj Kumar to discuss the fee structure at PU’s teaching departments and regional centres.
The proposed fee hike will be applicable only on new enrolments. The increase in fee is capped at ₹7,500 in self-financed courses, but has no limit when it comes to traditional courses.
The committee’s proposal is subject to approval first from the syndicate and then the senate.
Last year, the senate had approved a 10% hike for traditional courses and 7.5% increase in fee for self-financed courses for the 2019-20 session. However, it had decided to limit the hike at 5% for all courses in future.
Self-financed courses are those running on fee collected from students, and hence have a higher fee structure.
Among others, the 19-member committee comprises dean university instructions, dean students welfare, registrar, president of Panjab University Teachers Association and president and secretary of the Panjab University Campus Students Council.
Among those opposing the hike were senator Prabhjit Singh and campus president Chetan Chaudhary. “We expressed our dissent in the meeting as despite fee hike there is no development in the departments. Students will go on protest if the hike is approved,” Chaudhary said.
{{/usCountry}}Among those opposing the hike were senator Prabhjit Singh and campus president Chetan Chaudhary. “We expressed our dissent in the meeting as despite fee hike there is no development in the departments. Students will go on protest if the hike is approved,” Chaudhary said.
{{/usCountry}}Devinder Singh, a professor at the department of laws and a member of the panel, said, “If at all the fee has to be increased, the scholarship for needy students should also be raised.”
In 2017, a protest over fee hike at the varsity had turned violent after students clashed with police who had used tear gas to disperse the protesters.