Following two-day strike by the students over proposed fee hike by Kashmir University, the varsity authorities relented and kept the order “in abeyance”.“The university administration has put the order about new fee pattern in abeyance for time being as some students raised concerns,” KU Public Relations Officer, Faheem Aslam told KNS. Students of the university have been on strike from Monday and scores of the boycotted classes to protest against the order of “arbitrary” fee hike.The agitating students said that their fee has been hiked by the administration without communicating to them.“Our semester exam and admission fee has been doubled by the varsity,” the students said.
However, the KU officials said that the fee has not been hiked, but as the new Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) the fee has, infact, been lowered.“Earlier the students would pay Rs 250 per paper for a semester. Now, because of the introduction of Choice Based Credit System, a student has to pay Rs 240 per paper per semester. And as per the earlier academic system, a student would study four subjects in a semester and pay the fee,” KU Registrar Prof Musadiq Suhaf told KNS.As per CBCS, the registrar said that a student has to study more than four subjects according to his merit, and thus the fee would automatically increase because the number of his subjects and papers increased.
The registrar said that the students have to study, besides his core papers, elective and open elective papers that mean the students will be 5, 6 or 7 courses now.Prof Suhaaf said that the new fee pattern was communicated and discussed with all the Class Representatives (CRs) of the departments and “they got convinced”.“Few outsiders who are not on rolls and have completed the course are provoking and misinforming the students to disturb the academic work in the university. These students are not genuine and are illegally entering the university,” he claimed.The decision of the new fee structure has been taken by the University Council in which Governor, Chief Minister, KU Vice Chancellor and other top officials were present, the registrar said. (KNS)