Punjabi University hikes course fee by 10%

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 30

Punjabi University has increased the tuition and other fees for all its courses being offered on the campus and at the external centres by 10 per cent. The increment will be implemented for courses on the university campus and at the external centres apart from engineering courses at the university and the south campus. Some student organisations have raised objections to the increase.

The university has decided to increase the fees for the first time after 2003. “Earlier, the fees were increased in 2003. This is after a span of 18 years that the fees are being increased,” officials said.

The Dean, Academics, Dr BS Sandhu, said: “This is a marginal increase. Fees of courses at Punjabi University, Patiala, are otherwise far less than that of Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in the state. The fees of a pharmacy course here is Rs57,000, the same is nearly Rs 2 lakh at the GNDU.”

Students of the university’s constituent colleges, along with some student unions, alleged that the university should not increase the fees like this. “There are many students of the SC category at constituent colleges who can’t pay the fees. Already, the university has decided to collect fees under the head of PTA fund from the students of the SC category,” the students said.

Dr Sandhu said the university was increasing the fees for the first time in 18 years and as yet, there were no plans to increase it every year. “The other universities, meanwhile, increase the fees by 5 to 7 per cent every year. The increase is only marginal,” he pointed out.

‘The increase is only marginal’

The Dean, Academics, Dr BS Sandhu, said the university was increasing the fees for the first time in 18 years and as yet, there were no plans to increase it every year. “The other universities, meanwhile, increase the fees by 5 to 7 per cent every year. The increase is only marginal,” he pointed out.