IIT Students Plan to Revive Protest Against M.Tech Fee Hike

After the recent decision of the Ministry, M.Tech students enrolled in the Indian Institutes of Technology are planning to revive their protest against M.Tech fee hike. As per the report, IIT BHU students have made a call for a collective protest.

The decision had been taken by the student council after the Ministry of Human Resource Development announced the 900% M.Tech fee hike and the slashing of the stipend that M.Tech students received previously.

Protest on M.Tech Fee Hike Live Updates

October 4 2019, 14:30 (IST): During the protest on M.Tech fee hike, IIT aspirants demand fee hike roll back.

October 4 2019, 13:25 (IST): All India Engineering Student Council demand a complete centralised structure for this process where the less privileged (those securing lower ranks) should not be deprived of any opportunity and by doing this seats of M Tech will be filled to a considerably larger number.

October 4 2019, 12:33 (IST): GATE aspirants are protesting at JANTAR MANTAR since 11 am against the M.Tech fee hike.

As per the announcement, M.Tech students from across the country will be convening at 11 a.m. on 4th October 2019 at the venue. Their aim is to solely remove the fee hike that has been imposed by the government. The MHRD released a statement claiming the reason behind the hike was to stop students from leaving the course mid-way, which was also backed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras .

Umesh Dhande, Director of GATE Academy stated that the hike in M.Tech fees is a move against the right of the students who have been aspiring to pursue the programme. He also commented questioned the government’s decision, asking if their decision was to enrol elite students alone.

GATE aspirant, Akash Yadav, stated that the reason for the MHRD cannot be justified as students left the course mid-way due to Public Sector Units (PSUs). He stated that the PSUs release the recruitment results in months of August and September, which results in selected students leaving the course mid-way. “Who wants to leave jobs of around 15 to 20 lakhs” he argued.

Also Read: Proposal to Enrol More Students Who Pay the Entire Fee: IITs

Asthana Goel stated that the decision is against the Modi Government’s agenda “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”. She stated that the MHRD’s decision to remove the ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 stipends from the programme will also affect many students who used the money to pay off their fees.

Also Read: Here is the Revised and Detailed M.Tech Fees for IITs

It is expected to witness over 3,000 students partake in the protests that will be held at Jantar Mantar. Adding to the number, more than 66,000 students have signed petitions on social media sites to have the decision of the hiked M.Tech fees removed. Many students have also urged Prime Minister Modi to remove the decision as well.