No exam fee concession for SC/ST students at PU

Bhartesh Singh Thakur 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, November 18 

The Panjab University (PU) Syndicate on Sunday refused to give concession in examination fee to SC/ST students from Punjab in self-financed courses under the Post Matric Scholarship scheme of the Punjab Government.

The proposal of the Coordinator-cum-Liaison Officer of SC/ST Cell, according to which, SC/ST students should be allowed to pay only 25 % of the exam fee was unanimously rejected. The move will affect the SC students studying in PU teaching departments and its regional centres and constituent colleges. 

The fee of the self-financed courses, which were introduced in the past 10-15 years, is higher than other courses. 

Among PU teaching departments, prominent self-financed courses include engineering at UIET, MBA at UIAMS, BDS at Dr Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital and BA/BCom-LLB at UILS. 

On May 28, 2016, the Syndicate had allowed the SC students from Punjab to pay only 25 % of the total admission fee in self-financed courses, but there were no directions for examination fee. 

However, according to the guidelines of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, the SC students of Punjab taking admission in traditional courses are exempted from paying any admission and examination fee. The same is being implemented in all PU teaching departments, its regional centres and constituent colleges. 

DIHAR as PU research centre for biotech deferred

The Syndicate deferred the case of approval of Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) as PU research centre for biotechnology. 

Syndic Amit Joshi questioned how Research Promotion Cell (RPC) could selectively omit the recommendation from Department of Biotechnology, for allowing only co-supervisor from DIHAR. 

‘Strictly adhere to PU guidelines on hostel timings’

• On the issue of 24-hour opening of girls’ hostels, the Syndicate reiterated the recommendations of the PU committee to strictly adhere to the guidelines mentioned in the university prospectus. 
• The PU committee had offered 24x7 flexibility for the students doing PhD, MPhil, LLM and other students involved in dissertation work that already exists.
• Girl students are allowed to go to the reading room of the main library/departmental labs 24x7.
• Now, girl students can exit the hostels premises after 9 pm after making an entry into the mobility register till 10 pm in winters and 11pm in summers. 
• In case there is an emergency or genuine reason, they can also exit the hostel premises after 10 pm in winters and 11 pm in summers.