IIT Indore Suspends Fee Hike Amid Student Protest

The Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT Indore) has suspended its recent decision of increasing the fee amid strong protest from students who’ve raised their voices against the management’s latest proposal.

The students have been told they can continue paying the old fees but whether the hold was permanent or temporary remains a point of concern for them.

After the management decided to hike the fees from Rs 8,350 per semester to Rs. 19,900 (an increase of 130%) for PhD students, the institute’s students started boycotting classes and went online to protest against the change.

Many students, in fact, used social media to approach the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) regarding the fee issue, which also prompted the institute authorities to ban social media websites on its campus.

Deputy registrar (finance and accounts) Pradeep Agrawal said the fee hike was done for the first time in a long time and therefore it was justified.

The fee was revised for the first time since the institute was established in 2009, and it was not likely to be raised for at least five years, he added.

Students at the institute are also unhappy with the poor state of the institute’s infrastructure. They complained about how they are forced to take classes in under-construction buildings and that there is lack of equipment for research and practice.

IIT-Indore director, Pradeep Mathur is currently on a trip abroad and will reportedly speak to the students upon his return. He apparently plans to persuade students to accept the revised fee structure.

Meanwhile, PhD scholars at the institute are going anonymous on Twitter to talk about their plight. The students have taken the anonymous route as they are being threatened by the administration of dire consequences if they continue the protest online.

With inputs from hindustantimes.com