Students demand rollback of engineering fee hike

Educational institutions observed a bandh in Prakasam district on Monday on a call given by the Left-oriented student unions to press their demands.

The demands included withdrawal of the hike in tuition fees for engineering courses and immediate fee reimbursement for students of professional colleges.

Students led by Progressive Democratic Students’ Union (PDSU) State secretary K. Mallikarjun, All India Students’ Federation (AISF) district convener P. Kumari and Students’ Federation of India district secretary P. Kiran went round the city enforcing the bandh call. They raised slogans against closure of State-run hostels and schools on the pretext of rationalisation. This would only pave the way for more dropouts from schools, especially by those belonging to SC, ST and BC communities who could ill-afford going to private schools, said Mr. Mallikarjun.

PDSU State vice-president L. Rajasekhar said the State could not be turned into a “knowledge hub” by encouraging private universities and pressed for filling of all vacant teaching and non-teaching staff posts in State-run educational institutions.

Mr. Kiran urged the government to hike the mess and cosmetic charges for hostellers.