The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has written to the officiating principal of Hindu College, Delhi University, to stop the “extremely discriminatory” practice of charging a higher fee for girls’ hostel than for boys’ hostel.
The DCW recommended that the fee for the girls’ hostel be brought on a par with that of the boys’ hostel with immediate effect.
‘Equal opportunities’
It added that “all stakeholders should make constant endeavours to facilitate equal opportunities for both boys and girls and moreover promote the cause of greater outreach of higher education for women and girls”.
Hindu College had replied to a letter from the DCW office about the “exorbitant fee structure” saying that the girls’ hostel had been constructed without any assistance from the University Grants Commission while the boys’ hostel was built with UGC funding and receives an annual grant of ₹60 lakh for maintenance.
The college stated that this was the reason behind the higher fee for the girls’ hostel.
The DCW informed the college that although it appreciates the college’s needs for funds, its stand for higher fee for the girls’ hostel is “highly improper and discriminatory”.
The DCW has also written to the Secretary of the UGC recommending sanctioning of adequate funds immediately and asking the commission to direct the college to bring the fee at par with the boys’ hostel.
The UGC had earlier sanctioned some funds for the college, but the funds were recovered as construction could not start on time.
The DCW said: “It is sad that girl students are being made to suffer on account of failure on the part of the authorities”.
