IIMC students protest fee revision, administration promises to look into demands| Watch video

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication on Sunday in a verbal assurance to students, demanding a revision of the existing fees for various courses, said that it will look into “genuine demands” of the protesters.

Students of IIMC have been protesting continuously for the last six days demanding affordable education, lesser hostel and mess fees, hostel accommodation for all students and quashing the notice dated November 28 referring to the submission of second semester fees till January 15 next year.

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“We want a dialogue with the administration where a written assurance is given to us that our demands will be met. The authorities have been trying to stop the protest by giving verbal assurances only,” said Devesh, a student of the Hindi Journalism department at IIMC.

The IIMC issued a press statement on Sunday evening stating that the director general (DG) of IIMC KS Dhatwalia had assured the students about looking into the genuine demands by December 15. Despite the verbal assurance, the students began a poster protest in the campus on December 3. Later on December 4, an open house was also organised by the administration and faculty where various queries of students were answered by OSD Manish Desai, Dean Professor Mukul Sharma and other faculty members.

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The DG has also constituted a committee of faculty members under the chairmanship of Dean (academics) to hold a dialogue with the students, in which nine student representatives are also members.

“IIMC has not hiked its course fee midway. The course fee charged is as per the information given in the prospectus. IIMC offers skill-based professional PG Diploma courses and the fee charged is more or less comparable to fees charged by similar institutions in the public domain, including two film schools under the ministry of information and broadcasting. IIMC is not a funded educational institution, but an autonomous body under the ministry,” the press release stated.

The fee of IIMC is increased by 10% every year. Students also raised the question about why the hike rate was 10% when the ideal inflation rate is said to be 4%.

Students also demanded the early sanction of merit-cum-means facility that reimburses some part of the fees paid by the students of economically weaker sections.

The DG said that he has directed the administration to announce the benefit early next week.

This year, 43% of the 240 students have applied for the benefit in the beginning of the academic session in July but till now they have not got any reimbursement. The first semester is about to end with its examination commencing on December 15, 2019.

Students had on December 3 burnt the fee notification circular for the second semester which states which states that students of Radio and TV journalism have to pay ₹80,000 of the total fee of ₹1,68,500. The fee for Radio and TV was ₹1,45,000 last year and Rs. 1,32,000 before that. There have been similar fee hikes for other streams as well.