Commercialization vs Affordability: IIMC students to continue protest

IIMC had recently started several new courses but without any increase in infrastructure facilities.


Devdiscourse News Desk | New Delhi | Updated: 07-12-2019 12:32 IST | Created: 07-12-2019 12:26 IST
Commercialization vs Affordability: IIMC students to continue protest
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As administration of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has refused to give concrete assurance on revising fee hike, the students has decided to continue their protest. The students are protesting against a mid-term fee hike of 10 percent to be applicable from next semester commencing from January, 2020. 

In a meeting with the students, the Director General of the institute Mr. K. S. Dahatwalia reportedly passed the buck to the executive council of the institute. “Any decision regarding revision of the fee is taken by the Executive Council,” the protesting students quoted Dhatwalia as saying. Though a public funded institute, IIMC charges Rs 1,68,500 for Radio and TV Journalism, Rs 1,31,500 for Advertising and PR and Rs 95,000 for courses in English and Hindi journalism. The fee for Urdu journalism is Rs 55,000. These courses are conducted in two semesters. 

“There are only two hostels one each for boys and girls. We have no option but to live in private accommodation,” said Hrishikesh, a student of the institute. The fee of the hostel is also no-affordable, he added. The institute charges Rs 6,500 per female and Rs 4,500 per student from male students for hostel facilities.

In the last two years, the fee for various courses in IIMC have been hiked from 27 to 41 percent. The institute administration, however, claims that their fee is lower than private institutions in the city. 

IIMC was initially providing one year diploma courses but in past three years it started post-graduate courses without increasing infrastrucure facilities. The institute is also demanding all the rights of a 'Deemed University' status from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to start more courses at post-graduate level and also start PhD programs. 

Please visit Live Discourse JNU Protest and Discourse on Subsidized Education for more news and narratives.

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