Assam University forms 5-member panel to review fee hike amid student protest

Silchar, July 30: Hundreds of students at Assam University, Silchar, launched a massive protest on Wednesday against a sharp hike in tuition fees for Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Integrated courses.

The demonstration, led by the Assam University Students’ Union, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) university unit, and various departmental representatives, began early in the morning and continued throughout the day.

Chanting slogans at the university gates, students blocked the entry of professors and administrative staff, demanding an immediate rollback of what they called an “unjustified” fee hike.

Protesters alleged that the fees for several courses had increased by nearly 50% this academic year, making higher education unaffordable for many.

“We had submitted a memorandum on July 25 asking for a reasonable explanation. Even after four days, there was no response from the administration, which left us with no choice but to stage this protest. The university offers no fee waiver scheme and lacks basic facilities such as air-conditioned classrooms. How can they justify such an increase?” said a student leader.

He further pointed out that in the Department of B. Pharma, annual fees had risen from Rs 44,000 to Rs 74,000, and in the Department of Law from Rs 14,000 to Rs 27,000.

Calling the hike “unbearable”, he said students would continue their protest until the decision was reversed.

In response, Assam University Registrar Dr Pradosh Kiran Nath said that the fee revision was not arbitrary.

He explained that the proposal had been reviewed by the Committee for Fee Revision and approved twice by the Academic Council after careful consideration of infrastructure needs and departmental resource requirements.

“We have already spoken to the students and assured them their grievances are being looked into,” Dr Nath said.

He added that a five-member committee had been constituted to re-examine the hike and suggest fair adjustments if necessary, keeping student interests in mind.

Later in the day, the university issued an official notification stating that several student representations had highlighted the financial hardship caused by the revised fee structure.

“In view of these requests, the competent authority has constituted a committee to examine the matter and make suitable recommendations. The committee has been asked to submit its report within seven days to the Honourable Vice Chancellor,” the statement read.

Pending the committee’s report, the university announced that admissions for students in intermediate semesters would be kept on hold.