QAU students protest against fee hike

VC says 20pc reduction in fees has been notified

ISLAMABAD:

Students of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad continued their protest on the fourth day on Friday against the fee hike of different courses.

The placards-carrying students boycotted classes and marched on the campus and raised slogans against the university administration against the fee hike.

They demanded an immediate withdrawal of the fee hike. They also demanded to quash cases lodged by the university administration against the students for protesting against the fee increase.

Talking to the media, the protesters said the first semester’s fee of the BS programme in 2019 was Rs59,74, which was increased to Rs76,030 in 2020. The students said the semester fee in 2021 has further been increased to Rs80,240, which is 30 per cent more than the previous year.

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The protesting students said the security fee, which is charged by the university administration along with the admission fee, has been increased from Rs5,013 to Rs10,626.

When contacted, QAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah said that they have issued a new notification, announcing a 20 per cent reduction in the fee. “The university has also extended the date by one week for depositing the revised fee,” he said.

The QAU vice-chancellor said that they were ready to accept legitimate demands of the students, but it was not possible to give in to illegitimate ones. Dr Shah said the students were demanding representation in the university body, which was against the university act.

He alleged that some elements who had been expelled from the university in the past were behind agitating the students and the illegitimate demands.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2021.