Big win for students of IIT-B as fees slashed

Institute is yet to officially announce the partial rollback of fee hike, but students have already declared their victory

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In a major win for students at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), the administration has partially rolled back the recent hike in non-tuition fee. The Students Against Fee Hike at IIT-B (SAFH), a group comprising students protesting against the hike, had been in the news recently for repeated demonstrations.

Apparently, it was a hunger strike that catapulted the administration to form a committee to resolve the issue. Although the institute is yet to officially announce the partial rollback, SAFH has already declared the news in a statement.

Sources said that there has been an overall reduction of R2,050 from the non-tuition fee. While the medical fee has been reduced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,500, the Students Benevolent Fund, which sought R1,300 from students, has been brought down to R500.

Speaking to mid-day, a SAFH member said, "Yes, we have started spreading the news of the partial rollback of the fee hike. The institute can send out an official declaration through us. During the negotiations, it was decided that the rollback would be applicable from this academic session. All students who have already paid the hiked fee need not panic, as the excess amount would be adjusted in the next semester. There has been a rollback between 28 and 43 per cent, depending upon the programme of study."

SAFH members, however, are treating this partial victory as an important one. "The fact that the students from all programmes united for a cause is one of our biggest takeaways. All students would benefit from this reduction in fees. During the negotiation process with the administration, it was decided that the top officials would consult us once before enforcing their decisions," another member said.

When mid-day contacted the IIT-B spokesperson, the official promised to revert but failed to clarify on the subject.

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