Maharaja Sayajirao University withdraws fee hike partially

Instead of a hike of Rs 2,250, the fees will now go up only by Rs 1,250. Students who already paid the fees and took admission in higher payment courses in the Faculty of Commerce will receive a refund of Rs 1,000.

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Maharaja Sayajirao University. (File)

The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda Syndicate on Sunday resolved to decrease the fees hike of the Commerce Faculty by Rs 1,000 after major protests by student leaders and senate members of the university.

Instead of a hike of Rs 2,250, the fees will now go up only by Rs 1,250. Students who already paid the fees and took admission in higher payment courses in the Faculty of Commerce will receive a refund of Rs 1,000. The university also set a new criterion by which fees for any course can only be hiked by a maximum of 10% at a time. Earlier, there was no such criteria pertaining to the academic fees, whereas there was a 10% bar on the hike in examination fees as per a Syndicate resolution.

“In eight major courses, fee was hiked by the university this year. Students staged protests and we took up the issue,” said Syndicate member Mayank Patel. “Of all the courses where the fees was increased, we observed that the fee hike was less than 10%, but it was around 24% only at the Faculty of Commerce so we resolved to partially withdraw the fee hike,” Patel said.

EXPLAINED

Eye on students union polls

The MS University raised its academic fees for the Faculty of Commerce after five years when protests erupted. With students union elections approaching, NSUI, the Congress’s student wing, took out protests, burnt effigies and put pressure on the University administration to revoke the hike. The senate is dominated by the BJP, which could not afford annoying the Commerce faculty students who are the largest in number at the MSU, with 18,000 students. The University has contended that with 35 permanent teachers being recruit-ed and other infrastructural development work in pipe-line, a fee hike was inevit-able to meet the expenses.

The Syndicate also decided that the faculties where the fees has been increased will also give a breakdown of how the additional fund is being utilised in order to provide amenities to students in intervals of three months.

During the protests, effigies were burnt and roads were blocked in protest against the hike in the higher payment programs of certain faculties, effective from this academic year. Senate members had submitted memorandums to the Vice-Chancellor, as well as the Chancellor.

The Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) slab for students, based on which 10%-100% fees was refunded to the students, has also been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh. “In case of fee hike, students from the EWS can face problems. The university used to grant a 10%-100% refund to students whose parents had an annual income of Rs 1.5 lakh or less, but we increased this bar to Rs 3.5 lakh now,” Patel added. The Directorate of Students Welfare (DSW) scrutinises applications of such students, visits their homes and after a thorough verification, the fee is exempted.