A day after thousands of students agitated outside the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) convocation ceremony against a hike in hostel fee, all eyes are now on the Executive Committee (EC) meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
The protesting students had been assured by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal that he would look into their demands.
The EC is the highest decision-making body of the university and sources said that the draft hostel manual, which was passed in the Inter Hall Administration meeting on October 28, would be on the agenda.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) has called for a strike outside the Convention Centre, where the meeting will be held.
The union said it would not allow the meeting to take place without the rollback of the fee hike. The students are also running a social media campaign to raise awareness about why the hike is an important issue. “An estimated 40% of students studying at JNU come from families that have an annual income of less than ₹1.44 lakh, as per annual reports of JNU. With the fee hike, these students will not be able to continue their studies at the university,” the JNUSU said.
The students have also called for November 14 to be observed as National Protest Day, to protest against rising costs of higher education and the New Education Policy. The ABVP has also called for a protest on Wednesday at the UGC to ask for a rollback of the fee hike and to reject the draft hostel manual.
On Tuesday, the protesters received support from students of other universities as well as JNU alumni.
Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, tweeted his support for JNU students: “I could study at JNU (1981-83) because my NTS scholarship of ₹250 per month covered all expenses (university fee, hostel fee, mess charges). If the hostel fee was not subsidised, my parents may have found it difficult to afford my education. Affordable hostels must be part of Right To Education.”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh also lent his support: “The unexpected increase in JNU hostel fee is a gross injustice. Mr. Pokhriyal and the JNU V-C must meet the demands of the students and withdraw the hike.”
The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation protested at Jantar Mantar against the Delhi Police for using water cannons against JNU students during their protest on Monday.
