A 19-year-old third-year BA in Economics student at Guru Nanak College, a government-aided college in Velachery, attempted to die by suicide after being barred from her semester examinations for refusing to pay more than the government-stipulated fees.
The student had also filed a case in the Madras High Court against the college for demanding excessive fees, which is pending. Despite intervention from the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE), the college refused to issue her hall ticket, according to her mother D Lakshmi.
She enrolled in the government-aided BA Economics course, had paid Rs 28,000 as fees in first year and Rs 27,000 second year. The college demanded around Rs 30,000 for the third year.
However, the government-stipulated fee is only around Rs 800 for the first year and around Rs 300 each for the subsequent years, as per a communique from the college to the DCE in 2018.
Sources from DCE said that this has remained unchanged.
Since the college refused to issue hall ticket, the student wrote to the Higher Education Secretary and the DCE, through her advocates, seeking intervention.
On Monday, October 28, when examinations were being held, DCE officials and police visited the college to negotiate with the administration. However, the college allegedly did not budge.
Upset over not being able to write the examination, she attempted to die by suicide near the college gate. She is currently in ICU and her condition is stable, her mother said.
“When the DCE officials negotiated, the college said that they could provide a scholarship to cover her fee. I told them we had paid the government-stipulated amount, so there was no need for a scholarship. There are more students who were barred from exams because they couldn’t pay the exorbitant fees,” said Lakshmi. She said her daughter consistently ranked among the top three students in her class.
It is noteworthy that the student’s elder sister, who also studied in the same college, faced a similar issue and approached the Madras High Court after completing her course. As per the court order in 2023, the DCE officials inquired and confirmed that the college was collecting excessive fees.
When contacted, the DCE officials said they are in talks with the college to resolve the issue amicably. An official decision on action against the college can be taken only after discussion with senior officials in the higher education department.
"This particular case is pending in the court and we have to wait for the order," said an official.
Desisting from confirming or denying whether the college collected excessive fees, Principal TK Avvai Kothai said the students are informed about the fee prior to enrolment. She said the college is ready to offer full scholarship if the student gives in writing that she is unable to pay the fees.
“Otherwise, the college rules do not permit her to take the examinations as there are some more students who have been denied hall tickets for non-payment of fees," she added.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
