Amid Pandemic Central university insist for semester fees

SAGAR SURAJ

MOTIHARI: While most of the educational institutions across the country are portraying their good gestures in terms of fees collections in lock down due to pandemic, a certain standalone institution like Central University of Rajasthan are in great controversy for insisting students heartlessly to pay fees.

Ignoring University Grant Commission (UGC)’s guidelines, the Central university management issued fees circular regarding payments of semester fees by 13^th July, 2020.  The demands of fees without any deductions or instalments caused great annoyance among students pursuing their study in Central University of Rajasthan.

It may be recalled here that on 27 th May, 2020, Prof Rajnish Jain, secretary UGC issued a letter regarding fees collections from students. In the letter Jain clearly stated, given the covid-19 situation, the university management should deal the issues ‘sympathetically’. They should not force the students to make the payment of semester fees until lock down is lifted.

Piqued over fees demands, Students demanded Central university management to deduct hostel, mess, WiFi, lab and sports fees keeping in mind the pandemic from the overall semester fees from July to December 2020.

The students concerns were backed by many students’ outfits including ABVP, SFI, AISA, AISF, and JUNSU. They dropped a numbers of mail to Arun Kumar Pujari , vice chancellor of Central University of Rajsthan as well as UGC but to no avail. ‘Instead of considering our demands, they out rightly refused to ear us. ABVP submitted a memorandum to VC demanding withdrawal of controversial fees circular’ Mishra said  adding most of the students are not able to pay the fees being insisted by university management. Besides UGC, students wrote PMO and President’s Secretariat regarding withdrawal of fees circular. The issues was followed by reminders but to no avail.

Notably, the pandemic has badly affected the economic conditions of common people. Under such a situation, university is neither reducing the fees nor facilitating other alternatives to the students. Vice Chancellor however refused comment on the student grievances.

Said Rohit Mishra- also a student of this university, “ While our country is battling with coronavirus, we are not in position to pay the fees due to unbearable financial hardships they are facing”, he added.