Plea in Delhi HC seeks to restrict universities, colleges from charging gross amounts as tuition fees

A petition has been filed in Delhi High Court seeking directions to Central government and University Grant Commission (UGC) to ensure that the universities and colleges are restricted form charging gross amounts as tuition fees.

The petition, filed by Justice For Rights Foundation through its president -- advocate Satayam Singh -- sought directions to provide mechsm to ensure that the names of the students are not omitted or deleted or left-out due to nonpayment of semester fees due to lockdown.

The plea filed last week sought directions to allow only those institutions to charge tuition fees which have provided online classes during the coronavirus-induced lockdown period.

It said that the students and parents are not in the appropriate financial condition to make such payments either due to loss of wages or deduction of wages, coupled with financial hardship and therefore to compel either students and/or parents to provide for complete fees for the upcoming semester would further dampen their current financial situation.

Moreover, the present demand by the educational institutions forces parents and students to choose between basic essential commodities required to survive lockdown and to effectively exercise their right to uninterrupted education, the plea said.

It said that the respondents, Centre and UGC, have passed no such order for colleges and universities providing concession or relief to students and parents, which is equally important for smooth continuation of studies for college students.

"Right to education can only have effective meng if it is read as a right to continuous and uninterrupted education, the reality also remains that many students and parents are supporting their educational endeavors with the help of educational or friendly loans, which further add to the burden," the plea said.

"The universities/colleges/educational institutions have adopted a nonchalant and non-serious approach to the said issue and are not providing or effectively dealing with the said issue and thereby causing and forcing the students to pay the fees thereby imposing financial burden and causing mental agony by endangering the wellbeing of every student during this epidemic," it added.

( With inputs from ANI )