Students stage road roko against increase in MSU’s exam fee

After talks with their representatives, MSU reduces fee

TIRUNELVELI

Traffic on Tirunelveli – Tenkasi highway was affected for nearly 90 minutes on Monday afternoon as students, backed by Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists, staged a road roko, demanding reduction in examination fee.

The students, who started their agitation a fortnight ago, said universities could collect an exam fee of ₹65 from undergraduation students, ₹120 from postgraduation students and ₹150 from M.Phil. students per paper as per the guidelines of Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education. The fee could be revised once in three to five years.

However, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU), which had increased the fee amid protests by students, again revised it upwardly to ₹110 for UG, ₹175 for PG, ₹500 for M.Phil. and ₹400 for MBA students per paper.

“The district administration should advise the authorities concerned to reduce the fee as per the guidelines. If not, we’ll lay siege to the university soon,” Thirumalai Nambi, SFI’s Tirunelveli district secretary, had said while submitting a petition in this connection to the Collector a week ago.

However, the MSU’s high-level committee constituted to look into the issue concluded after a recent meeting that the revised fee structure should be retained to enable the MSU to meet “whopping examination-related expenses”.

“Since backward, most backward, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe community students of affiliated colleges are entitled to get scholarship, which includes examination fee, the increase in exam fee will not be a burden to parents. Hence, the students should pay the fee for November 2017 semester exam by September 25,” it said.

The SFI activists, on the last date for paying exam fee, staged the road roko to highlight their demand. When they attempted to enter the MSU premises, police stopped them.

The police held talks with them and asked their representatives to meet university authorities.

“During the three-hour-long talks held with the students’ representatives in the presence of district administration and police officials, we proposed to reduce the fee for UG students to ₹100 and for PG students to ₹160. There will be no change in the exam fee for M.Phil. and MBA programmes. The students’ representatives agreed to it,” said K. Baskar, Vice-Chancellor.

He also said the last date for paying the fee was extended till October 3.

The students’ representatives said following the reduction in the fee, they temporarily suspended their agitation.