Even as the University of Mumbai finds itself in hot water over the online assessment debacle, a batch of 200 students from the Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in Churchgate have decided to show the varsity the mirror
Masters of Social Work students protest against Mumbai University outside Nirmala Niketan college's Churchgate campus on Tuesday afternoon
Even as the University of Mumbai finds itself in hot water over the online assessment debacle, a batch of 200 students from the Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in Churchgate have decided to show the varsity the mirror for its shoddy performance. In an unprecedented revolt, students of Masters of Social Work (MSW) have refused to pay the revised examination fee.
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The students held a protest outside the college yesterday and pledged to spread the movement in other colleges too. A similar protest was held at Fort's Siddharth College this afternoon.
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Starting this academic year, MU had increased the examination fee, doubling the amount for most courses. The examination fee for the MSW course, for instance, saw a raise from Rs 650 to Rs 1,560.
The students of Nirmala Niketan have refused to pay the new fee, citing" poor and low-quality" service by MU.
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The protesting students argued that the university took more than four months to declare all the results. Further, the fate of over 10,000 students continues to hang in limbo because authorities are trying to trace missing answer sheets. "With this callous service, how is the university expecting us to shell out higher exam fees? Would we pay five-star hotel charges for a regular lodging service? So many students have already missed out on higher education opportunities because of this [chaos]," said one of the students from the MSW course, requesting not to be identified.
Students protest outside Nirmala Niketan's Churchgate campus yesterday
The 200-odd protesting college students have also reached out to other colleges to join their fight. "We are sure that other college students will join the movement since frustration is running high. The examination fees have been increased threefold. And, the university is shamelessly boasting about having reduced the re-evaluation fee [from R600 to R300]. It's a sham," another protesting student said.
Dr Lidwin Dias, principal of Nirmala Niketan, said that the college authorities were not aware of the students' protest yesterday.
When contacted, Dinesh Kamble, registrar of MU, said, "We understand the students' anger and we will hear them out. But, no assurance can be given [about revised fees] right now."
He added, "The varsity is not a profit-making institution. We run on students' fees and a government grant. The institution itself is in a crisis and we will need all stakeholders, including students, to come together and help solve the problem."
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