Panjab University extends admission dates, to charge late fee

Our Correspondent

Doraha, October 15

The last date of admission in affiliated and constituent colleges of Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, with a late fee of Rs2,040 per student has been extended till October 30. The parents and guardians had sought one time exemption from late fees amid the pandemic.

Students and their parents had sought exemption from late fees from the university by approaching their respective institutions.

Educationists have requested the vice-chancellor (VC) and officials concerned to rethink about charging extra fees.

Tarsem Bahia, Chairman, Punjab Educationists’ Forum, said, “The university should avoid penalising students for there has been dozens of hurdles such as improper communication, lack of transport facilities, banking etc. Moreover, the burden will shift over to the parents who are facing problems such as joblessness and serious contraction of incomes due to the lockdown.”

Dr Jagdish C Mehta, fellow, Panjab University, Chandigarh, too acquainted the VC through his letter about the hardships being faced by the students in getting admission. “The UGC has given fee relaxation to students keeping in mind the financial hardship being faced by parents. PU should also decide on the same lines. After all it is the question of missing the studies for one complete year. The exemption from the late fee will help many needy students to continue their study further,” he expressed.

“Most of the students could not fill the form in time due to lack of accessibility to the internet. They could not visit the college either due to Covid-19 scare. Therefore, many seats are lying vacant in various colleges of the state due to which the financial position of the colleges too is highly unstable. Students are not in a position to pay the normal fees what to talk about paying extra. They have simply no option but to sit back and lose one golden year of theirs,” said Dr Mehta.

Along with Dr Shaminder Singh Sandhu, fellow, PU; Nihal Singh, Principal, Panjab University Constituent College, Dr Kuldip Singh Kalsi, a number of other educationist are of the view that PU should exempt late fee this time.

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