Money speaks every language: Students reserve choice words for NUML fee hike

Largest increase in the university’s history comes into affect.

ISLAMABAD: National University of Modern Languages (NUML), already one of the more expensive public universities, has increased its tuition fees by up to 40%.

With the increase, NUML’s fees becomes significantly higher than other public sector institutes including Quaid-i-Azam University, Urdu University and Arid Agriculture University.

Fees for management sciences have been upped from Rs35,000 to Rs45,000 per semester, according to a student. “It is injustice to put such a heavy burden on the shoulders of poor students in one go,” said the student.

This is the biggest fee increase in the university’s history.

Hassan, a mass communications student, felt the fee hike is unfair on students and their parents. “We were paying Rs24,000 in our early semesters. Now we will have to pay Rs35,000,” he said, adding, “Most students live in hostels and hail from far-flung areas. They already bear extra expenses and this fee increase will push them further against the wall.”

Another student, Anum, suggested that the administration should cut down on its own expenses instead of “squeezing the poor students”.

Computer science student Ehtisham Khan was more forgiving, but even he said that the increase should not have been more than 10%. He cited the example of International Islamic University Islamabad, where the administration has frozen fees for the last four years to keep additional financial burden off students.

A senior faculty member agreed with the students, calling it “sheer injustice” to put such a heavy burden on them. He added that if the hike is really because of inflation, it should be split between the administration and students, adding that the administration is not ready to cut its unnecessary expenses or salaries and incentives.

NUML Spokesperson Amir Saleem said that the administration raised fees after 2007 to meet administrative expenses that have increased due to inflation. There was no option other than to transfer the burden onto the students, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2012.