Punjabi University students to submit fee by June 8

Tribune News Service
Patiala, May 25

Cash strapped Punjabi University has decided to collect fee from old students of various departments by June 8.

Now, the university is facing protest from students. Students said they should be given more time to submit fee and they cannot deposit it in one installment.

Meanwhile, the university’s decision to collect fee is seen as an attempt to collect funds to pay pending pensions and make other payments.

In a notification released under the signature of Dean (Academics), Dr GS Batra, the university departments have been directed to collect fee from old students of engineering courses, including computer engineering, electronics and communication engineering, mechanical engineering, Department of Computer Science, Punjab School of Law and others by June 8. The notification further stated that students were supposed to pay fine after the due date of submitting fee.

As per the university’s 2020-21 academic calendar, old engineering students promoted to third, fifth and seventh semesters have to pay Rs 56,457, which includes Rs26,250 semester fee, annual funds of Rs30,207 along with ECA payment of Rs 1,000.

Members of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and other student organisations said people were already facing difficulties in paying their bills and earn livelihood due to the lockdown since March. They demanded that collection of fee should be postponed.

Varinder Khurana, state secretary of AISA said, “University is demanding fee from all engineering students and others by June 8. Students are carrying on their studies with help of meagre income. Such decisions will only hamper their studies.”

The step is seen as a bid to collect funds after the university assured its protesting pensioners that their pending retirement benefits of April would be credited on getting any grant or fee.

“Punjabi University is trying to extract funds from pockets of students to pay pensioners. They should delay the collection of fee as students are also finding it difficult to pay the amount in one go,” students added.

When contacted, the university officials failed to comment on the matter.