Price of education

Protests at Panjab University have highlighted student unrest at the hike in tuition fee, introduced by the institution recently. Even as both parties brandish figures, what is clear is the expectation of highly subsidised, public-funded education, and, on the other hand, a major cash crunch staring the university in the face. Some may see the protests as posturing by student unions, others may point out — and rightly so —that many of the protesters are people of means; that private universities charge more, fees are not that high, etc., but obviously there are always those students who find it difficult to get enough funds to study. Their need must be addressed.

We have a large infrastructure of government-funded higher education institutions in India, but in recent years, funds have been hard to come by for many universities. Consequently, fees have been rising, more so for courses that are in high demand because of their perceived value in the job market. Every time this happens, protests take place. Fee increase is inevitable, but at the same time we need to endeavour that no good student should suffer for want of funds. Panjab University should take proactive measures to highlight various schemes under which it offers concessions. Such concessions need to be publicised widely, and effort made to reach out to as many students as possible.

Internationally, universities provide exhaustive information on how students can get financial assistance. The university should work with banks to help students get low-interest student loans; alumni associations can be tapped to set up scholarships and funds for students in need; charitable organisations can pitch in to provide for those who slip through the cracks of rigorously allotted scholarships — a lot can be done, provided there is transparent functioning and student-oriented thinking. Most institutions of higher education will face difficulties in government funding. All stakeholders — administrators, teachers, students and alumni — need to creatively find answers rather than relying exclusively on government funds.