As Delhi University (DU) students expect a steep fee hike in the coming years, such a move might lead to students unrest.
The University Grants Commission has asked colleges under Delhi University to state how much funds they can raise internally, triggering fears that tuition fees could be hiked.
Earlier this year, the finance ministry had said the autonomous institutions would have to bear at least 30 per cent of the additional expenditure on account of the implementation of the revised pay scale.
Since government’s share will not exceed 70 per cent, and the Office Memorandum (OM), through University Grants Commission (UGC) , makes it compulsory for autonomous bodies to generate part of the funds “internally” and be financially self-sufficient so as not to cause any extra burden on the Central exchequer and also to implement the Seventh Pay Commission.
Colleges that are fully-funded by the government say that generating 30 per cent of the running cost only through fee hike seems impossible and yet they have no other source of income.
Teachers have criticised the UGC order. They say the order will prompt colleges to enhance their tuition fees, which are nominal now.
During the admissions this year,Ramjas studied details of the fee structure, in the admission form,of the last institute that the aspirant had attended.
This was to know who could afford the fee hike as well as request the government to make an exception for economically-weaker students.
However,the issue remains unresolved.
“Such a step to ‘privatise’ and ‘commercialise’ DU”, Rajesh Jha, Professor at Rajdhani College, and a member of the varsity’s Executive Council (EC), said, ” will further widen the existing gap between the privileged and the under-privileged, and even deprive the latter of affordable higher education.”
“We strongly demand the withdrawal of the UGC letter. This letter to the DU colleges will push them further towards privatisation, commercialisation and contractualisation,” Jha said.
