The recent fee hike in BMMMC, a self-financed premium course offered by Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi has left the second and third year students of the department disgruntled.
On July 3, 2019, the college issued a notice stating that the fees of BA (Hons) Multi Media and Mass Communication had been increased from ₹67,845 to ₹1,00,845. The last date to submit the fees is July 25, 2019.
This action has received a lot of backlash from the students and they have collectively written emails to the college and university authorities demanding a proper breakdown and justification for this hike.
“This sudden steep fee hike of nearly ₹33,000 is unaffordable for many of the students, especially at such a short notice. We took admission in this course keeping in mind the fee for all the subsequent years and this hike will pose a problem for a lot of us if we want to continue our admission here,” quoted Namrata*, a second-year student.
Another student Ashima* added, “We understand the college reserves all right to increase our fees as previously mentioned in the prospectus, but the increase for all other courses is marginal. It is an increase of almost 49-50% under the name of self-financed course.”
While the fees for the first year applicants is yet to be announced, the course fee for the second and third years has been increased from ₹15,000 to ₹44,000. “There is an increment in transportation and water charges, well in fact there hasn’t been much use of these. We didn’t have any field trip or industry visits in our first year,” quotes a second-year student Mallika*.
According to the department prospectus for the academic year 2018-19, the fees were ₹82,000 for the first year and ₹67,845 for the subsequent years. This includes studio charges and equipment and handling charges. The students however complain that the equipment aren’t in good working conditions and that they themselves bear the extra costs in the studio productions and other related projects that take place for their practical assignments. All of this nowhere accommodated in their annual fees.
“We are being charged for spaces that we haven’t interacted with, anytime before. We don’t even have a green screen, this hike is exorbitant. This is not something we expect from a state university like DU. Also the deadline for the payment used to be in August previously,” added Disha*.
They were also made to sign an undertaking at the time of issuing of admit cards which contains a clause that forfeits their security deposit if they don’t meet the minimum 66% attendance requirement. They are unaware of any other college of the university doing the same.
The students now await a mediation between them and the governing body, where they can put forward their demands and suggestions.
*Names changed on request.