IIEST Shibpur has withdrawn a July 15 notice that said students seeking registration to their respective semesters have to pay the full tuition fee before they can apply for a fee waiver.

At IIEST, students from economically less privileged families are usually asked to submit income certificates to be eligible for either a full-fee waiver or a two-thirds
fee waiver before seeking academic registration for their respective semesters.

Students whose annual family income is less than ₹1 lakh receive a full tuition fee waiver of ₹62,500 in a semester.

Students whose annual family income is between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh are entitled to a two-thirds fee waiver.

The July 15 notice, which said students have to pay full fees in a departure from what was the usual practice, spelt trouble for the students seeking waivers.

Many students who are entitled to fee waivers protested the July 15 notice. They wondered how they would arrange resources to pay the full fees.

The teachers, too, joined the protest.

The institute on August 30 issued a notice announcing that 639 students had been granted a full fee waiver and did not need to pay the full tuition fee.

A two-thirds waiver has been given to 253 students, according to the notice signed by the dean of students, Sudipta Mukhopadhyay.

“So, the students enjoying full fee waiver have to pay ₹5,500 as part of the students’ activity fee, infrastructure maintenance fee, admission fee and examination fee. Those entitled to two-thirds have to pay ₹26,333 as part of the
same heads,” said an IIEST official.

A student said they protested the July 15 notice as it would have forced students coming from underprivileged economic backgrounds to seek loans or borrow money to pay the full fees.

“Seeking loans or borrowing money would mean they would have to pay interest. It would be inhuman to ask such students to go through this experience. For such
students, paying ₹68,000 means a lot. Besides, when they are entitled to a fee waiver, what is the point of applying for the waiver later, and then getting a refund,” said a student.

An IIEST official said the July 15 notice was withdrawn in early August and the students were told to file their income certificates.

“We told students to pay the full tuition fee and apply for the fee waiver later as some of the IITs have been following the practice. But as the introduction of this mechanism triggered protests among students this was taken back,” the official said.

The number of students seeking fee waivers has increased ever since seats have been reserved for students of the general category who come from economically weaker sections.

The Union government had introduced the reservation in 2019 in academic institutions ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.