By Gowhar Nazir
Srinagar, Aug 25: The Sudents of Government Degree College for Women, Nawa Kadal, on Monday assembled at Kashmir University against the sudden hike in college admission and university examination fees for the 5th and 6th semesters of BBA, B.Com, B.A, B.Sc, and BCA courses.
The students alleged that both the college and the university had arbitrarily increased charges ranging from 10,024 to 16,800 for BBA, making higher education unaffordable for many.
“It is unfortunate that no one from the administration has taken note of this hike, which has taken a serious toll on our academics,” said Aqsa, a student of the college.
She said the students had approached the college authorities but received no positive response. “Such moves seem intended to disrupt the careers of students from weaker economic backgrounds,” she remarked.
Shazia, another student from GDC Nawa Kadal said, she felt deceived by the sudden fee hike. “When I joined, I calculated the expenses for completing my degree. With this unexpected hike, I regret my decision of continuing higher education,” she said.
She further added that the college and the university were shifting responsibility on one another. “The college asked us to approach the Vice Chancellor’s office, but the University denied any involvement into the decision.”
Visibly distressed, another student explained her helplessness. “We are left with no option but to either beg for our fees or drop out in the final year. As an orphan living on my mother’s meagre income, how can I manage this?” she asked.
The students termed the fee hike “unjustified” and urged the authorities to revoke the decision immediately.
The students gathered outside the Vice Chancellor’s Office warned that failure to address the issue could jeopardise the academic journey of hundreds of students from economically weaker families.
