The reunion convocation ceremony that was taking place on campus for classes who had graduated during the pandemic but had missed out on the traditional convocation ceremony, the location of the hunger strike had to be moved twice.
Saturday marked the beginning of a relay hunger strike that students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have been participating in as part of their ongoing demonstration against the recent fee increase. Students have voiced their concern that the administration has threatened to dissuade them from participating in the protest. However, the administration has stated that the protest is unnecessary because dialogue has already been initiated with the students and the fee increase is warranted.
Because of the reunion convocation ceremony that was taking place on campus for classes that had graduated during the pandemic but had missed out on the traditional convocation ceremony, the location of the hunger strike had to be moved twice. At first, the administration emailed a warning to all of the students, threatening severe action up to and including the removal of privileges to stay in the school’s dormitories if the demonstration caused any kind of disruption to the event.
This was a classic example of the administration discouraging students to ensure participation from a smaller number of students. The hunger strike then moved to a new location after this development took place. But we have continued the hunger strike at a new location on campus, “said a member of IIT Bombay Students Against Fee Hike, which is a students’ collective that is raising its voice against a fee hike implemented by the administration for the new academic year.”
“The students have made it clear that the relay hunger strike will keep going until the compounded fee hike by the administration is reconsidered,” read a statement that was issued by the collective on Saturday evening. Starting tomorrow morning at the location that was originally chosen for the strike, a new group of five students will replace the students who are currently participating in a hunger strike.
The tuition fees for Ph.D. students at IIT-Bombay have gone up by another 2,500, to 5,000. Also, MTech tuition fees have gone up from 5,000 per semester (after a partial waiver) to 30,000 per semester.
IIT Bombay Students Against Fee Hike, a group of protesting students, released a statement on July 28 calling for an immediate rollback of the fee hike, the rescinding of the resolution that called for a 5% annual fee increase, and the addition of student representatives to the Standing Committee for Student Fee Matters.
However, the administration has ruled out the possibility of completely reversing the new fee increase. “The fee hike was actually approved in 2020 but was not implemented considering the pandemic curbs,” said an official from the institute’s administration who requested anonymity. The increase that was implemented recently adheres to the recommendations made by the Fee Committee and approvals made by the Board of Governors. Without sufficient funding, the institute will be unable to function. Only a minority of students are acting unreasonably, while the vast majority have no problem with the tuition increase.
The officer continued by saying that the government was no longer providing the same level of financial assistance because there are now more institutions of higher education (IITs) than ever before, making it difficult for the government to provide financial assistance to all students. When it comes to the funding of the necessary expenses for their respective development plans, the majority of IITs are on their own. Despite this, IIT Bombay is operating successfully on its own. “The fee increase is here to stay,” added the official, while also implying that the administration has decided to support students who are worthy of financial assistance in the form of scholarships.
