Punjabi University students confront Punjab Health Minister over fee hike, fiscal crisis

Students protesting over deteriorating financial condition of Punjabi University confronted state Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh as he visited the campus on Wednesday to launch a state-level HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

As the minister arrived, protesters confronted him over a hike in tuition and hostel fees, poor condition of classrooms and hostel rooms and lack of basic amenities and infrastructure on the campus. They also raised the issue of delay in the disbursement of salaries of teaching faculty.

The confrontation came amid growing concern over the financial crisis of the university. The students demanded that the government must take concrete steps to improve the university’s financial position and ensure that basic facilities were provided to them.

The protest by students overshadowed the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign as they used the occasion to draw the government’s attention to their demands.

Punjab Students Union president Gurdas Singh alleged that the university had increased the hostel fee by about 30% to 42%, while the tuition fee was raised by 10% to 657%, depending on the course. He said the tuition fee in the theatre and film production department was increased from around Rs 16,000 to around Rs 1.22 lakh per semester. The tuition fee of most courses had been increased by the university, he alleged. “Education should not be treated as a commodity. The government must ensure affordable education to all sections of society,” he demanded.

Students Federation of India activist Ramandeep Singh said the university’s total budget for the current year was around Rs 732 crore, including a government grant of Rs 397 crore, while about Rs 240 crore was collected in the form of student fees. He said the university also had a debt of around Rs 150 crore and paid nearly Rs 14 crore annually as interest. Despite an announcement by the Chief Minister, the debt was not waived so far, he alleged.

Punjab Students Federation activist Gagandeep Singh highlighted the shortage of hostel accommodation, saying only around 30% of female students seeking hostel accommodation were allotted rooms. He said the government had approved a 500-room women hostel in 2014, the construction of which was yet to begin. He said the construction of two hostels sanctioned by the Centre had also not started.

All India Students Federation activist Rahul Kumar alleged that the condition of hostels had deteriorated due to lack of timely repairs, adding that roofs leaked during rain. He pointed out that lifts in several multi-storeyed hostels, including Banda Singh Bahadur Hostel, Mai Bhago Hostel and Bebe Nanaki Hostel, were non-functional for years.

Meanwhile, officials of Students’ Welfare Office reached the protest site and held talks with the students. However, the protesting students said the university administration had failed to offer a concrete solution to their demands.

The Joint Students Front announced that they had intensified their agitation by launching a “pucca morcha” against the hike in hostel and tuition fees.