BU Students distressed
More than 200 post-graduate students of the Bharathiar University are in distress as they have to pay fees to the university because of the cancellation of the fee concession by the State Government.According to the PG students belonging to the BC, MBC and Denotified communities of the 2005-07 batch, the university has not refunded the tuition fees based on the concession announced vide G.O. No. 12363/A2/2005-1, dated June 8, 2005.They have made a representation quoting university officials that the fee concession has been cancelled. They have alleged that the university is not willing to pay them what is rightfully theirs. Also, those who have not paid any fees under the free education scheme are told by the university to remit the fees before they can collect their certificates.When contacted, the Vice-Chancellor said that what the officials had said was correct. “The university officials had forwarded the filled-in applications of 204 students to the District Backward Classes and Minority Welfare Officer based on the G.O. There was no response in spite of two reminders. Finally we got a reply on May 4, 2007 stating that the concession was not extended to post-graduate students. It was only applicable to those who were undergraduate students, that too first generation studying a degree course.”The university and the students had been misled by the G.O. The Vice-Chancellor contended that the G.O. was not clear. It did not clearly mention as to whom it was applicable.The university, on its part, had forwarded the list of students who had sought fee concession. It had also sent reminders (November 23, 2006 and March 23, 2007) requesting the department to expedite payment to the students.
Only when the university received the reply from the concerned department did it come to know that the post-graduate students were not eligible for the concession. “So, the university now wants the students to pay up the unpaid fees or the difference, as the case may be”.The Vice-Chancellor asserted that the university was not at fault. He made it clear that the students have to pay up to collect their certificates. The university had let them write their examinations in spite of the fact that they had not paid the fees, so as “not to spoil their future”. “But a huge amount of Rs. 26,35,000 that is outstanding, cannot be borne by the university”, says the Vice-Chancellor.
