Delhi University: Student organisations demand withdrawal of fee hike, stage protest

After the Delhi University (DU) in its recent notification increased the fee to be charged from the students under several heads of expenditure including the University Development Fund, student associations have demanded an immediate withdrawal of this order. 

The DU administration issued a notification on July 22, listing the new fee structure that needs to be implemented by the University from the academic session 2022-23. The notice said that this is being done to “rationalize the undergraduate fee structure for admission across various colleges of the University and to ensure uniformity in various heads of expenditure.”

The All India Students Association (AISA) said in a press release that the University development fee has been increased from Rs 600 to Rs 900, with the addition of several new costs, like the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) Support University Fund, University Facilities and Services Charges, EWS Support University Fund and University Student Welfare Fund. They said that this will lead to an overall hike of around 10 to 20 per cent. 

They also added that this move will lead to an additional burden on students. “Instead of providing facilities and infrastructure that actually corresponds with the already high rate of fee charged from the students, the administration is busy with finding new ways of increasing the overall fee burden of the students, while the glaring lack of essential infrastructure like that of hostels, well-equipped classrooms etc. is there for all to see,” they stated in the press release. 

The association also recalled that similar fee hikes have been implemented in other universities such as Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as well. “These attempts were met with fierce resistance from the student community of these universities, and such practices will have a similar fate in Delhi University,” the press release stated. 

In fact, other student associations such as the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (AIFUCTO) and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) have shown solidarity with the students. They have called for a protest today, August 3 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the fee hike, among other issues, that students have been facing.