On the second day of the TISS, Hyderabad students protest, the administration initiated a dialogue with the protesters. The students have been protesting against the exorbitant hostel fees which has allegedly pushed many SC, ST students to contemplate dropping out of the course entirely. The students had also taken issue with the fact that the hostel service providers are taking all the decisions and the administration was not being more participative.
On Tuesday, the students blocked the entrance to the academic block and insisted that the administration listens to their demands. "They told us the usual thing, that we should not be causing disturbance and that they would look into the matter but we continue to protest," a member of the Student Action Committee said. The faculty then held a long meeting and then a few faculty members who were not part of the administration approached the students, "They said they would schedule a meeting with CN Reddy, the service provider and initiate a dialogue placing out demands in front of him," the student added.
The students have only three demands — one, that the hostel fees for the GOIPMS students go back to Rs 15000 per semester and that it would be payable in three installments. The second, was that the GOIPMS students would only be required to pay the mess fees after they've received their scholarship or student aid. Lastly, the students demanded that the Office of Hostel Management be reinstated.
"While it hasn't been revoked completely the Office of Hostel Management has not been functional. The Office includes some faculty members, student representatives and the service providers and it was through this Office that we could make out student demands. So we want to ensure it is reinstated," a student said.
While the administration has not taken a stand or promised the students that the demands would be accepted, they have said that they would hold a meeting with Reddy tomorrow at 3 pm. "The administration has said that they might not be able to do anything but will sit for negotiation. They said it was entirely up to Reddy to decide whether the demands would be met or not," the student said.
In case the demands are met, the students said they would insist on getting a document stating the same signed by the top authority at TISS Mumbai, "So that next year even if the service provider changes, the promises made to the GOIPMS students would continue to stand," she added.
The meeting tomorrow will include administration, faculty, student representatives and the service provider. Simultaneously, the students will also run a social media campaign, get solidarity statements from other institutes and organisations and a signature campaign.
The signature campaign will include the signatures of about 250 general category students, "This is basically to assure the service providers that the GOIPMS students will pay after they receive their scholarships and that we will be their guarantees," she added. Last few years, the SC, ST students have faced issues with the service providers because they get their scholarship money late and are unable to pay on time.
This service providers this year had made it mandatory for the students to pay the money upfront, before the semester began which was why many of the SC, ST students have been forced to consider quitting the course. Many of them continue to stay with friends as they have no way of arranging such a large sum of money. Since they can't continue to stay in other people's houses, some students were considering going back to their hometowns. Many are in the mid of research submission and other academic work.
