Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira in Belur and St Xavier’s College are continuing with the reduced fee structure in the even semester, which started in March, taking into account the Covid-induced financial problems faced by students’ families.
At Vidyamandira, the reduction, which was introduced in November, varies from 30 to 40 per cent on an average for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
“The reduced fee structure continued till March and will continue in the new semester that started in March,” said Swami Ekachittananda, the principal of Vidyamandira. “We will soon issue a notice, announcing the continuance of the waiver.”
A notice earlier issued by the college had said: “The session charges for 2020-2021 has been reduced in view of post-Covid economic hardship faced by the whole country. UG and PG students can pay these charges in either online or in offline mode by 31 March 2021”.
Since the hardship is continuing, the college authorities have decided to continue with the fee structure in the new semester as well. “The relaxation will continue till the resumption of in-person classes,” the principal said.
The principal of St Xavier’s College, Dominic Savio, said they had informed the students that the reduced fee structure would continue for now. The semester fee was brought down by 35 per cent following the onset of the Covid pandemic last year.
“The same fee structure is being continued with. We do not want to inconvenience the students amid the crisis,” the principal said.
A comparison with the fee structure in effect till October at Vidyamandira suggests that the monthly college fee for the third-year English (honours) students has been reduced from Rs 700 to Rs 500. The fee for the second-year students has been brought down from Rs 900 to Rs 600.
An official of the college said a large number of their students are from economically weaker sections. “They have been hit hard by the pandemic. Even those from middle-class families have encountered the impact. So, we have reduced the fees. We are periodically assessing the situation,” he said.
At St Xavier’s College, library and e-resources fees have been brought down from Rs 1,500 to Rs 500. Laboratory fees and computer lab fees have been entirely waived.
“The number of students availing themselves of the concessions has gone up. The usual increase of fees by 10 to 15 per cent has not been followed. We will continue with this structure till the resumption of in-person classes,” said Father Dominic Savio.
The financial distress is impacting students across the institutes.
In January a section of research scholars at IIT Kharagpur had written to the dean of students’ affairs appealing for an extension of the deadline for paying the fee for the spring semester by at least a month because of the pandemic-induced economic distress.
The scholars had stated in the letter that ’’economic depression unleashed by the pandemic has intensified the hardship. Many parents have lost their business, jobs or have (had) to bear salary cuts’’.
