Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira in Belur has been charging reduced hostel and college fees since November because of the financial constraints students are facing amid the pandemic.

The extent of reduction varies from 30 to 40 per cent on an average for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The partial waiver is likely to continue till in-person classes resume.

A comparison with the fee structure in effect till October reveals 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.

The college fee for economics (honours) students has been reduced from Rs 900 to Rs 600.

A second-year chemistry (honours) student has been paying Rs 1,000, instead of Rs 1,400, since November. Those who are in the third year are paying Rs 1,200, instead of Rs 1,800.

The reduction has been extended to MA and MSc programmes as well.

“The partial waiver was initially in force till January, but it has been extended till February because of the pandemic-induced economic hardship being faced by students and their families,” Swami Ekachittananda, the principal of the college, said on Friday.

“A large number of our students come from economically weaker sections. They have been hit hard by the hardship. Even those from middle-class families have been hit hard. So, we have reduced the fees…. We are periodically reviewing the situation to decide on the continuation of the reduced fee structure.”

Vice-principal Swami Mahaprajnananda said they had plans to continue with the reduced fees till the resumption of in-person classes.

The monthly hostel fee for the third-year students has been reduced from Rs 1,100 to Rs 800, and for the second-year students from Rs 800 to Rs 600. For the second-year postgraduate students, the fee has been reduced from Rs 1,100 to Rs 800.

Vidyamandira is an entirely residential college and the students have been attending classes on digital platforms since the start of lockdown from home.

“Since the hostels have to be maintained and this incurs expenses, we are collecting the bare minimum hostel fees,” said Swami Ekachittananda.

A number of institutes have reduced their fees in the wake of financial constraint brought on by the pandemic.

The students of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, are not paying the mess advance and water and electricity charges this semester. The students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur, too, have been granted some fee relief.

An official of Vidyamandira said many of their students depended on scholarships offered by the state government and the Centre and a reduction in fees would enable them to buy data packs for attending online classes.

“No one knows when in-person classes will resume. So we thought fee reduction will help them attend classes on digital platforms,” the principal said.

Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, reduced the hostel fees by over 50 per cent in April last year.