I would reckon that it is next to impossible for most students to pay additional amount that is being asked of them
LAHORE: I am a final-year student of mechanical engineering at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Lahore. When we were admitted in 2010, our fee was Rs14,000 a semester and this was later increased to Rs16,000. But now just three months before our graduation, the university is making us sign an undertaking according to which we will have to pay an additional Rs132,000 to it over the next nine years.
The reason being given for this by the institution is paucity of funds. The UET is a premier engineering university of Pakistan and perhaps, the only one where middle-class students like us can get quality education. I would reckon that it is next to impossible for most students to pay the additional amount that is being asked of them. The government’s help in this is sought because clearly, this seems to be a gross violation of the law and is nothing but exploitation of the students.
A final-year student
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2014.
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