IITs 80% fee hike will keep deserving students from modest backgrounds away

Updated on: Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Higher education has been beyond the reach of many and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) announcing a fee hike for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses does not augur well for people with limited means who aspire for a good education.

The fee will be hiked by 80%, from Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000. The revised fee will be applicable for the 2013 entrants. The last fee hike was announced in the 2008-09 academic session when the it was hiked from Rs 25,000 to 50,000.

The decision has raised concerns about the accessibility of quality education in premiere institutes.

While some students who have already spent a few lakhs to prepare for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) do not mind the hike, others feel the 80% fee hike will keep deserving students from modest backgrounds away.

However, some academicians are of the view that the fee hike is justified if there's a corresponding increase in quality.

Corporate trainer Paarth Ashok Narang said, "The fee hike, if accompanied with consistency in quality and content delivery is justifiable and should be accepted with due reverence." But that does not soften the blow for students.

Shrishti Chopra, 22, a resident of BRS Nagar, said, "Students from general category will suffer. The fee hike will not affect students of the reserved category and those studying on scholarships."

IITs 80% fee hike will keep deserving students from modest backgrounds away

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