Students of IIT Bombay continue their relay hunger strike

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Students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay are continuing their relay hunger strike to protest against the fee hike. The strike began on 6th August, when the students demanded that the increased fee be rolled back. On 7th August, the administration made a statement justifying the hike.

Take a look at the strike and the administration’s response:

What are the students demanding?

IIT Bombay declared a new fee structure for the 2022-23 semester. There was a significant hike in the fees, especially for post-graduate and Ph.D. students. Students began protesting the hike on the 20th of July through email and signature campaigns. Then, on 6th August, they started their relay hunger strike and demanded a complete rollback of the hike.

How much is the fee hike?

The fee hike has impacted the students of UG, PG, and Ph.D. courses, but the hike percentage for each varies. The last fee hike was in 2017. After this, it was decided that the fee structure would be reviewed every three years. A fee hike of 15% was approved in 2020. However, because of the pandemic, it was never approved. The management also decided that there would be an additional 5% hike every year. So, the fee hike for the 2022-23 session combines the 15% for 2020 and 5% for 2021 and 2022, making it a total of 25%.

How has the hike impacted the students?

The hike hasn’t currently impacted the tuition fee, but there has been an increase of a total of Rs. 7,500 in other aspects like hostel fees, medical fees, etc. New admissions will have a hike in tuition fees as well. For PG courses, the hike is from Rs. 2500 to Rs. 25000, and the Ph.D. courses will increase from Rs. 2500 to Rs. 5000. There won’t be any hike for the UG in tuition fee for the UG programs. 

How has the administration responded?

Open houses were held for discussing the concerns, and the four members of the student body were invited. It was decided that the hostel amenities component would be reduced from the mess advance. Also, fees will be deferred for students with economic difficulties. 

Also, the institution said that it will be working on creating scholarships for PG students who are facing financial difficulties. However, the administration also talked about a fun crunch, especially for the infrastructural development. They released an official statement, which said that the bulk of the college’s funding comes from the government. Fees only account for 8% of the revenue. They also added that the hike in fees is essential for covering actual expenses. They will be able to offer academic facilities and have to take loans for expanding infrastructure. Also, with the increase in the number of students, IITs have to build more academic buildings and hostels. For this, they have to take a loan, which will be repaid in 10 installments. 

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