Organisations representing SC/ST students have welcomed the HRD ministry’s decision to waive off fees for IITs. The fee hike, which has more than doubled the existing fee, will affect students from the open category who do not fall under any caste or economic category.
Speaking about the HRD ministry’s decision to totally waive fees for students who are differently-abled, from the SC and ST community, and belonging to families with an annual income of less than Rs1 lakh, Sanjay Wairal of the SC/ST/OBC Student Organisation, said, “It is a welcome development and will serve as encouragement for students belonging to these categories to try for a seat in the IITs.”
Mr Wairal however added that while the ministry had given a fee waiver, the question of preparing for the all-important JEE exams remained unresolved.
“Many SC/ST students cannot afford the high fees that students from the open category pay for joining preparatory classes for JEE exams. The government should start preparatory classes for JEE exams too, on the lines of those that have been started for competitive exams so that students have a level-playing field when it comes to vying for a seat in the IIT,” he said.
Prashant Redij, an academic working on issues related to students from the SC/ST category and backward classes, said, “The financial criteria needs to be increased as one cannot find any family that can sustain itself with an income of less than Rs 1 lakh throughout the year in the city or anywhere in the country. The criteria needs to be increased to at least Rs 2 lakh to benefit the intended students,” he said and added that complete waiver was a welcome move.
The HRD ministry has also ordered a fee waiver of two-thirds the amount for students from families with an annual income of less than Rs 5 lakh. While students from the open category will be expected to bear the brunt of paying the increased 122 per cent fee hike from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 lakh, the HRD ministry has said that it will be facilitated through interest-free loans under the Vidyalaxmi scheme. This loan can be availed by students from not only the open category but also those who have got a two-third waiver.
