Extra fee burden on NIT first-years

Patna: First-year students taking admission at National Institute of Technology-Patna will have to pay more than what their seniors did the last academic session.

The college’s new academic session started mid-July but the admission process is still underway for first-year undergraduate students. The new batch of students will have to pay Rs 15,000 a semester more than last year.

Till last year, first-year students had to pay Rs 21,200 in 11 different heads, including registration, examination, students activity, students welfare, medical insurance, development fees and library. From this session, they have to pay Rs 36,200.

As the tuition fees are regularised by the Union ministry of human resource development, that remains unchanged at Rs 62,500 per semester.

The NIT Patna administration said they have increased the fees under different heads as there had been no hike for the past 10 years. Dean students welfare Prakash Chandra said: “For the past 10 years, the institution has not increased the fee structure under different heads, but our expenses have gone up. Also, the students facilities have gone up and all that require money.”

Students, however, said while the per semester increase in fees is Rs 15,000 annually it is around Rs 30,000.

A first-year student who has taken admission in mechanical engineering said on condition of anonymity: “While the government is giving relaxation in fees and offering loans for students to pursue technical courses, the institution has put a Rs 30,000 yearly burden on students.”

Two years ago, the Union ministry had increased tuition fees by more than 50 per cent – from a yearly Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh per annum. It did, however, announce a fee waiver for students under different categories.

Dean students welfare Chandra said: “In the past few years, NIT Patna carried out massive infrastructure work, creating facilities for students such as new hostels and. Upgrading facilities requires money for its proper upkeep.”

Courtesy: The Telegraph