As the JNU students protest against the Draft hostel manual that has provisions for the fee hike, curfew timings and dress code restrictions on the students intensified, the administration has announced a ‘major rollback’ in the hostel fee hike and other stipulations said the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The authorities will also provide assistance to students of economically weaker section (EWS) students, confirmed the administration of JNU on Wednesday.
Education Secretary R Subrahmanyam took to Twitter to announce: “JNU Executive Committee announces major roll-back in the hostel fee and other stipulations. Also proposes a scheme for economic assistance to the EWS students. Time to get back to classes.
https://twitter.com/subrahyd/status/1194570703174918144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The decision was taken in the varsity’s Executive Council (EC) meeting, which had to be shifted outside the campus at the last moment fearing agitation by students.
The students union, however, termed the partial rollback of hostel fee hike “cosmetic” said it will continue its struggle till the time the manual is discussed with them.
“The JNU community has received no communication whatsoever regarding this. The said EC meeting has happened without any communication or consultation. If it has passed the IHA Manual without consultation, which includes curfew timings, permission for adult students for going out for a day and regressive notions on dress code we reject it,” they said.
On the issue of fee hike, there are unconfirmed reports that the so-called major rollback has happened only in room rent, they added. “Our issue substantively is not just with the room rent but the Rs 1,700 service charge, water and electricity charge which was zero and has been steeply hiked,” they said.
“The HRD secretary while announcing the so-called rollback has the arrogance to advise us to: ‘go back to classes’. With the fee hike still in place, students will be going out of classes and out of JNU. We reject this sham propaganda and selective usage of facts,” they said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students’ Union had on Monday organised protests outside the University over a slew of issues including fee hike even as the University’s convocation ceremony continued inside the campus with Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu as the chief guest.
It has been two weeks since the JNU Student’s Union (JNUSU) has been conducting protests over the hostel manual. The JNU Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar had on November 8 alleged that Associate Dean Dr Vandana Mishra was kept in illegal captivity by some students as a part of their protest.
The last year’s convocation at the JNU, which was second after a period of 46 years was marred with boycott calls by the students’ union, which had accused JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar of “muzzling their democratic rights”.