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Panjab University syndicate to take a call on fee hike on May 30
7.5% fee hike has been proposed for self-financed courses and 5% for traditional courses for new entrants in the 2020-21 academic session
The Panjab University (PU) syndicate will take a call on a 7.5% fee hike for self-financed courses and 5% for traditional courses for new entrants in the 2020-21 academic session.
A 15-member PU panel set up by the vice chancellor had proposed the hike at a February 20 meeting.
The 7.5% increase, however, will be capped at Rs 7,500.
The PU syndicate will meet on May 30 with 23 items on the agenda, its first since the Covid-19 lockdown. The last meeting was held in March.
The syndicate decision, however, is subject to senate approval as it’s the supreme governing body of the university.
The hikes, 10% last year for traditional courses and 7% for self-financed programmes, are a way out for PU to deal with its funds crunch.
Self-financed courses run on student fees and are relatively more expensive.
However, this year PU officials feel that implementing the new fee structure will be tough because of the lockdown since March.
‘SITUATION HAS CHANGED’
“The committee made its recommendations in February but the situation is not the same now. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown the economy has suffered and I think it will be good if the syndicate decides not to hike the fee this year,” said a PU senator on condition of anonymity.
Chetan Chaudhary, who is also a member of panel that proposed the fee hike in February and registered his dissent over the move during the meeting, said: “The students are already under great stress and panic due to Covid-19 and the hike will create more problems for them. I want them to take a decision in the best interest of the students.”
TENTATIVE ACADEMIC CALENDAR
The syndicate will also take a call on the tentative academic calendar of the 2020-21 session.
The calendar has been formulated considering the Covid-19 lockdown that resulted into the suspension of classes. It has recommended that the ongoing semester be extended for 13 days from June 16 to June 30. During this period, internships, summer trainings, internal assessments and practical examination will be held on the campus.
The calendar provides that the exams will be held from July 7 to 30. The tentative date for declaration of results of final semesters is August 1 and for intermediary examinations, the date for results is August 14.
The teaching process of ongoing classes at the teaching departments of PU, its affiliated colleges, regional centres and constituent colleges will start from the first day of August.
Arun Kumar Grover, former vice-chancellor of PU, said, “Even many top-level universities have turned to online classes for next academic session. As we do not know when the lockdown will be over, I think the varsity should devise some mechanism to minimise the academic loss.”
The admissions will start on August 1 and new classes will begin from August 18 to August 28.
Saturdays to be working days
The academic term which will start from August will have all Saturdays as working days till November 28. For the next semester, the final examinations will start from December 2 to December 24.
The nine-day winter break will start from December 25 and the university will reopen on January, 4, 2021, for 90 days, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.
ALSO ON AGENDA
Members will also decide on the recommendation made by the committee regarding introduction of certificate courses in Vedic studies. Payment of honorarium to staff members to be deputed on duty for senate elections 2020 will also come up for discussion.
PU is also planning to increase the rent for shooting films, canopies, posters and hoarding. As per the proposal, PU will charge Rs 5 lakh as entry for indoor and outdoor shooting, which include tax of Rs 50,000 for shooting per day and Rs 1 lakh as security. Shoots will be prohibited in vice-chancellor’s office, girls’ hostel, administrative block, dental college, dispensary, residential area and in the library.
