Sharp surge in fees of most courses at skills university triggers criticism and concerns

Last month, the fee surge prompted a protest from students. A group of 20 students from 19 different campuses of DSEU on June 11 protested in front of the office of the Directorate of Technical Education. They also put forward their requests in a letter but received no response. The protest was held by Aawaz, a students’ union.

Earlier, in a letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on June 12, a delegation of students raised concern over a “dramatic increase in tuition fees”. The L-G later sent a letter to the varsity to “consider fee relaxation”, according to V-C Dr Ashok K Nagawat.

Every year, the course fees are increased by 10%, and the changes are adjusted in the semester fees. This academic session, however, the surge has been much higher.

For example, till last year, the Diploma in Architecture, and Diploma in Pharmacy had Rs 15,750 as the first-year course fee; the fee for Bachelor in Optometry and Bachelor in Library Sciences was Rs 42,700. It was Rs 52,700 for Bachelor in Computer Applications and Rs 60,250 for Bachelor in Data Analytics. While the first-year fee for Diploma in Architecture and a Diploma in Pharmacy has now been surged to Rs 63,000, it has been doubled for B S Optometry and B Library Sciences (Rs 1,13,000). For BCA and BS Data Analytics and Digital Marketing (course name changed), students have to pay Rs 1,13,000 — almost double the last year’s fee.

The surge was long due, said V-C Nagawat. “The Diploma in Architecture course earlier was a slab-1 course – its tuition fee was Rs 10,000. Now, it has been shifted to slab-2 with a tuition fee of Rs 25,000. Minimal fees were being charged for many years but this year, considering the demand of the course and the resources required, we have increased the fees.”

The DSEU is also facing a fund crunch, Nagawat further said, adding that he is hoping for more funds so that the faculty strength can be expanded to 1,200 from 500 at present. The annual budget allocated by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to DSEU has been halved from Rs 290 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 165 crore in 2024-25, it was further highlighted.

On the surge in fees for Diploma in Pharmacy course, the V-C said that limited funds would have impacted the quality of the laboratory, studio, or workshop training.

A Bachelor in Technology student said, “I cannot submit my college fees… my father is a rickshaw driver. I have applied for a loan but my father’s credit score is not enough to get the loan. I have tried as hard as possible to get a scholarship but to no avail.”

Nagawat said, “We are observing financial discipline because till last year we were very lenient and many students still failed to pay fees.”

A teacher said, pleading anonymity, “Such a hike in fees is unjustified… It will deprive the financially weaker sections from pursuing technical education.”

When asked about the implication of the jump in fees, the teacher said that students would prefer other institutes. “The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) offers courses for much less.”

A sister of an 18-year-old student who was considering applying to the DSEU said the sudden hike in the fees has “forced them to look for other options like IGNOU”. Fearing that her sister might have to drop a year and prepare for CUET (Common University Entrance Test)-UG, she said, “But I want her to study. If she drops one year, she may be forced into marriage. We are dealing with a lot of financial struggles. I want her to become independent.”

“On DSEU’s website I read that the diploma courses ‘skills poor’, but after the fee hike, it does not seem like it anymore,” she added.