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IP College Hikes BMMMC Course Fee; Students Protest

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The course fee of BMMMC offered at Indraprastha College for Women was hiked from INR 67,845 to 1,00,845. The sudden hike has left students feeling discontented.

On 3rd July 2019, Indraprastha College for Women issued a notice stating that the fee of the Bachelor’s in Multimedia and Mass Communication  (BMMMC) course had been increased from INR 67,845 to INR 1,00,845. In the annual fee breakdown, the course fee was increased from INR 15,000 to INR 44,000. 

The sudden move has been met with backlash from the students. “This is unfair to the students from marginalised communities. The University of Delhi (DU) is a public university. We expected the fee to be lower here. The course is an autonomous course but increasing the fee to 1 lakh is absurd,” said a second-year student. 

Another student added, “It”s almost a two-fold increase in the fee structure. Last year, the it was around INR 67,000. We understand that the University calls BMMMC a self-financed course, but this sudden hike is exorbitant.” 

According to the college prospectus of the academic year 2018-19, the fees for the first-year students was INR 82,000 which included development fee and establishment charges. The fees for the second and third year was set to INR 67,845. The college has now hiked the fee for second and third year students to INR 1,00,845. The fee structure for the first year students is yet to be announced. 

The deadline for submitting the college fees is the 25th July 2019. 

The college facilities remain poor despite the annual fee hike.The studio fee of INR 15,000 stands underutilized. The equipment and computer systems need to be updated. It is said that the students rarely get to visit the studio. 

The clause of the refundable ‘caution money’ of INR 3000 seems unclear. Students are required to pay the sum at the beginning of the semester,  if they don’t meet the minimum 66% requirement of attendance, the money is forfeited. If the money is forfeited, students need to pay it once again in the next semester. 

 

The high fee in a public university prevents students from marginalised backgrounds from accessing it. In a public university system where casteism still survives, fee hikes like this only strengthens the elitsm of these spaces. 

The college is yet to give a statement on the reasons behind the hike. 

Feature Image Credits: College Dunia

Jaishree Kumar

[email protected]

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Admissions

Mission Admission: A Tough Bargain

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The continuing problems related to admissions in the varsity have raised several questions on the functionality of the administration.

Student organisations Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) of the University of Delhi (DU) have voiced their concerns and demonstrated against the DU Vice Chancellor regarding the difficulties faced by students during the time of admissions. The demonstation also sought to question the fee hike that has taken place for almost all courses in the University.

ABVP has voiced the concerns of the students by protesting at the Arts Faculty, addressing various issues related to admissions. The increment in college fees has been challenged along with irregularity in Sports Category admissions. Provision of admission by accepting undertaking, and introduction of EWS category in M. Phil/ PhD admissions has been requested. Importantly, inadequate arrangement in colleges for parents at the time of the admission process are some of the issues amongst other key issues that have been raised by the ABVP.

They (ABVP) has brought into the limelight how the admission staff in colleges who were admitting students to the first cut-off were not aware of the rules prescribed by the University. This caused problems in the smooth functioning during the admissions process. Admissions of students were also cancelled due to loopholes in the admission process.

Siddharth Yadav, the State Secretary of ABVP Delhi, said that if the demands are not met within the time period of ten days, then there will be more resolute protests against the administration.

DUSU President Shakti Singh also highlighted the issue of fee hike by saying, “There has been an arbitrary unaccounted fee increase in many DU colleges.” The issue Ramjas College’s fee hike has been previously reported on by DU Beat.

A memorandum to the Dean of Students Welfare had been submitted after the protest ended by the the ABVP delegation.

Attempts have been made by the student organisations so that the DU admission process does not become tedious and burdensome for the students. The true effects of the protests remain to be seen.

Feature Image Credits: Prateek Pankaj for DU Beat

Amrashree Mishra

[email protected]

 

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Ramjas College

College Round Up Series: Ramjas College

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With yet another academic session coming to an end at the University of Delhi, it is time to let nostalgia get you over and look back at the year that has gone by before all of us get busy with semester examination preparation and some of us eventually leave to charter their career paths. Going by the thought, DU Beat brings to you its exclusive series ‘Colleges’ Round-Up (2017-18)’ where we present the highlighting incidents of numerous DU colleges that took place over 2017 and 2018.

From a 25% fee hike to rebelling against the Principal, let’s take a journey through the major events that took place at Ramjas College from May 2017-April 2018.

Feature Image Credits: Ramjas College

Radhika Boruah
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Karan Singhania
[email protected]

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Bazinga

Bazinga: UGC Announces Increased Fee for Upcoming Semester

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced fee hike concordant with its decision to implement autonomy and the motion for 30% self-attained funding by universities. Such a decision comes at the expense of lakhs of students studying at the University of Delhi (DU). This announcement has caused panic and chaos among the students and parents.

The revised fee structure has been released on the Delhi University website as of 31 March 2018.

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A screengrab from the Univesity of Delhi’s official website.

The official page of the DU can be referred to for other course specific fees. Individual universities have been given the discretion to change independent course fees within a margin of 3% as per university guidelines. The deadline for new fee payment has been set as 25th July 2018, five days post the beginning of the new session.

This news has led to some serious repercussions. Professors in north campus colleges have refused to take classes and are sitting outside with their students in protest.

The teachers are extremely outraged with this decision. A distressed senior professor from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College ARSD college was quoted as saying, “The government has failed in its responsibility to provide affordable and accessible education to all. Our education system is bringing shame to our country.”

An ad-hoc teacher from Lady Shri Ram College expressed her concerns to us, “Our jobs are in danger. We’d either be fired or never promoted. This brings us to a very difficult position and we are completely against the government’s decision.” A Sanskrit professor from Kamala Nehru College expressed her concerns to us saying, “Students will not be willing to pay such high amounts for courses like Sanskrit, Bengali, Music, B.A. Programme, etc. This would lead to a sad death for liberal arts and sciences.”

All classes in off-campus colleges like Zakir Hussain College have been canceled until further notice.The students are also enraged by this decision and they took to criticise the government on social media.  A distressed student from Motilal Nehru College MLNC said, “I came here to study from Orissa. My parents will not be able to afford my fee now., with this hike. I don’t know how to get this kind of money within the deadline that they’ve given us.”
Students were also seen talking about dropping out or transferring to other universities. A 2nd-year student from Sri Venkateswara College told us that she’d rather study in Himachal University than the Delhi University. A 1st-year psychology honours student from JMC argued that “This will lead to most jobs being concentrated in the commerce sector and it will take away jobs from sectors which already don’t have enough opportunities. Even though I can afford the fee hike, I will not be able to get a job after graduating from this course.”

Panicked parents were also seen outside colleges. A parent said, “I cannot withdraw my daughter’s admission as she has already studied here for two years. I cannot transfer to another college either but it’ll be very hard for me to pay the fee this year.”

We tried to get in touch with officials from the Delhi University, but they remained unavailable for comment. This new will not only impact lakhs of students studying in the Delhi University, but also lakhs wanting to get admission.

With the semester exams approaching, lectures being cancelled, and ongoing protests it’ll be difficult for the Delhi University to end this semester on a good note.

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

Feature Image Credits: Digital Learning Magazine

Meher Gill
[email protected]
Muskan Sethi
[email protected]

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News

Ramjas students to face a 25% fee hike

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A 25% increase in fees at Ramjas College will be effective from the 2017-2018 academic session. Such a hike will require every student from across courses to pay an additional amount of Rs. 2500 each. The decision was made in a staff council meeting of the College, held on Friday. Acting principle, P.C. Tulsian maintained that the fee hike was necessary in light of the developmental work taking place in the college. Moreover, he said that the University does not give funds for the same.

However, the move has not gone down well with the faculty and students of the college. Students view it as a clear movement towards privatisation of the college. They’ve also criticised the fee hike as going against the public-funded nature of government colleges and a sheer attempt to dismantle it. For years, the University of Delhi has invited students from various economic backgrounds. However, due to such a move, students from lower income groups are bound to be burdened by the added expenses.

This decision by Ramjas College comes shortly after the move to inflate hostel fees at the DS Kothari hostel. In a statement to the New Indian Express, a group of DU students remarked:

“If all colleges and hostels will slowly hike their fees, even when the varsity is central and public funded, then where will the poor students go? It clearly states that the varsity is moving towards autonomy and privatisation of education.”

Following the controversy to make St. Stephen’s College autonomous and the recent NAAC appraisal, many have begun to view such moves as part of an agenda to privatise higher education.

Please write to us, expressing your thoughts on the same.

With inputs from The Statesman and The New Indian Express

 

Feature Image Credits: Ramjas College
Swareena Gurung
[email protected]

 

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