A renowned university known for research and professional course studies, Jamia Milia Islamia has won the Visitor’s award for research but along with it, some deduction in the college grant provided by University Grants commission (UGC) to the universities has led Jamia to manage its funds by increasing the fee amount by a probable 20%, according to the minutes of a meeting held on discussing the fee increase in Committee of Studies meeting on January 28.
At first it seemed that the fee hike would only be in the professional courses, but now it has been proposed that the increase would be done across different courses.
Jamia Milia university hike tuition fees
However, according to the spokesperson, Mukesh Ranjan “the matter is under consideration and the quantum of increase hasn’t been decided yet. It is still under deliberation.” (As reported to the Times of India).
Also, Ranjan added that the fee hike has been proposed keeping in mind the need to improve support services like healthcare and library services for the student community.
If he is to be believed, “UGC is asking universities to improve services.”
Jamia Milia’s proposed fee hike angers teachers as the increase however is a fifth of the total amount students already pay as fee and professors have not welcomed this move as they feel that this increase would lead to barring certain particular “student communities” from enrolling themselves in these courses. The teachers’ opinion on the fee hike seems justified as they plead that this sudden increase would make students coming from humble backgrounds back out from studying in Jamia only because of the fee intake. They further want the course coordinators to decide on how to calculate the fee enhancements as Jamia is “not a profit-making institution.” Also, all courses do not require the same amount of resources and equipment so there does not seem fit a logic to make them all pay the same fee for the maintenance, running costs and the consumables? The teachers believe and strongly opine that it is the Academic Council which should decide upon the course of actions and none of the decisions should be taken before the final approval by the Council. However, teachers have regretted that such is not the case. Most of the times, the decisions are made by the committee in anticipation of the approval while the Council agrees much later, after the decision has already been taken.
Now all is up to the Academic Council to agree or disagree with the fee enhancement ideas.
Hope that they look at all sides of the issue before passing a judgement.
