Over 200 students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Govandi on Wednesday protested against the withdrawal of financial aid given to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) students.
The strike began at 7 a.m. and students boycotted lectures and field trips. They gathered outside the dining hall of the old campus and later outside the director’s office. The strike was observed by all departments across all four campuses — Mumbai, Tuljapur, Guwahati and Hyderabad. In May last year, a circular issued by the TISS administration said that the Government of India-Post Matriculation Scholarship (GOI-PMS) would be withdrawn from SC/ST students from the 2017-19 batch. Students said they decided to strike on February 17 after months of failed negotiations
“We used to get a waiver on hostel and dining hall fees, which has now been cancelled. We want the implementation of the scholarships. We are asking for our rights, and not begging for money,” Archana Soreng, president of the TISS Students’ Union, said.
