Mumbai: Student-administration tussle intensifies at TISS over fee policy

TISS students have demanded the withdrawal of the fee policy

The tussle between the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) administration and the student body, primarily revolving around the issue of fees linked to semester exams, has intensified. Students have been advocating for the separation of fee payment from semester registration, arguing that the current policy unfairly penalises those facing financial difficulties. The institute, however, has issued a fresh notice stating that students with outstanding fees will not be allowed to view their semester results.

Calling the policy anti-students and exclusionary, the students collective at the TISS- Mumbai campus Progressive Students Forum (PSF) has demanded revocation of the order. On July 2, students of the 2023-2025 batch received an email from administration informing them about the new notice regarding fee payment and semester registration. Students have raised concerns about the stipulated period to complete the registration process and submit the outstanding fees, which is just ten days, from July 2, 2024 to July 12, 2024. They argue that this short timeframe is unreasonable and puts additional pressure on those already struggling to meet financial obligations.

An email by PSF dated July 4 addressed to the vice-chancellor and authorities of other institutes stated: "We condemn the recent actions and policies of the administration at TISS. The notice of mass termination affecting 119 teaching and non-teaching staff has already caused significant distress among students and staff. Adding to this, the administration has imposed further economic burdens on students."

The letter further read: "On July 2, students received a directive to pay the fees for the third or fifth semester in order to access their results for the second or fourth semesters. Additionally, students must pay their fees in full to register for upcoming courses, or else their names will not appear on the rolls. This policy reflects a troubling insensitivity on the part of the current TISS administration, and it must be condemned. While the mass termination has been "temporarily revoked for 115 staff members, four teaching and non-teaching staff at the Advanced Centre for Women's Studies have been terminated due to the institute's non-payment of salaries. At this critical time, the TISS administration has again introduced the policy linking fee payment with semester results and course registration."

As per PSF, the policy was also introduced at the beginning of this year, but was retracted following resistance from students and a public gathering organised by them. "TISS, a pioneer in social science education and practice, is expected to provide a safe and inclusive space for students from diverse class and caste backgrounds. However, such policies are rapidly eroding the inclusive nature of our campus, creating a hostile environment for students. Given the uncertainty surrounding the continuation of teaching at the Institute, it is unacceptable for the administration to demand fees from students in this manner. We demand the full revocation of this anti-student and exclusionary policy immediately," PSF has demanded.

PSF took to X to reach out to the student community and put forward their demand. They wrote: "Administration has left no stone unturned in putting additional economic burden on students by linking fee payment with results and registration." "Over and over again, the officials are coming up with policies and rules that are exclusionary and anti-students. We already got this policy retracted last semester. They have again come up with the policy. We have already approached the administration via email to see how they respond. Other forms of protest and our next move will be announced in the coming days as the next step. The student community will not take this lightly," said one of the students.