AJYCP moves Assam Governor demanding rollback of Gauhati University fee hike

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Opposing the recent steep hike in admission fees at Gauhati University, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Assam Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the revised fee structure.

The memorandum was submitted by the Gauhati University unit of AJYCP to the Governor, expressing strong concern over what the student body described as an “unprecedented and arbitrary” increase in admission fees.

In a statement, AJYCP central president Palash Changmai and general secretary Bijon Bayan said that Gauhati University, the first higher educational institution in Northeast India, has historically served as a beacon of knowledge and has shaped Assam’s intellectual, cultural and social life.

They stated that the university is not merely an educational institution but a symbol of aspiration and self-respect for the people of Assam, where thousands of students from middle-class and economically weaker families pursue higher education with hopes of building a better future.

The AJYCP leaders alleged that the sudden fee hike has created deep uncertainty and disappointment among students and guardians, warning that the increased financial burden could deprive many meritorious but economically disadvantaged students of access to higher education.

“At a time when inflation, unemployment and financial hardship are already affecting ordinary families, such an abnormal hike in fees has become an unbearable burden,” the statement said.

The organisation stressed that education should never be restricted by economic status and must remain a fundamental right accessible to all sections of society. It warned that if higher education becomes exclusive to the affluent, social inequality and deprivation would deepen further.

AJYCP also pointed out that students from rural and financially constrained backgrounds, who often overcome immense challenges to seek admission at Gauhati University, would be the worst affected by the revised fee structure.

The student body further argued that while institutional development is necessary, imposing unreasonable financial pressure on students in the name of development is unjustified, especially when the government has already allocated substantial funds for the university’s infrastructure development.

Demanding an immediate rollback of the fee hike, AJYCP also urged the university authorities to introduce special concessions, scholarships or financial assistance schemes for economically weaker students.

AJYCP warned that if the enhanced fees are not withdrawn immediately, it will launch democratic protests in the coming days.

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