Lucknow University: NSUI, AISA & other student bodies hold protest against ₹100 registration fee

LUCKNOW A protest was organised at the Lucknow University (LU) on Saturday against the ‘arbitrary’ imposition of ₹100 registration fee. The protesters — including students and members of All India Students Association (AISA), Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, and National Students Union of India (NSUI) — said that the registration fee is a “systematic loot” imposed on students seeking admission in LU and its affiliated degree colleges.

They also pointed out that LU has more than 540 colleges affiliated to it and any student who wants to take admission now has to pay ₹100. The payment is non-refundable even if a student later decides to not go ahead with the admission.

Currently, the university has a provision of charging fees in admission forms and later, an enrollment fees when a student takes admission. This costs about ₹1,300 as the admission form is sold at ₹1,000 (approximately), which is one of the highest among the state Universities, they added.

Students are already burdened with paying a huge amount during the admission process and the new registration fee will only exacerbate the issue, said protesters while adding that no additional fees should be charged.

The student organisations alleged that “these attempts are in line with the implementation of the New Education Policy of 2020 by the Modi government which wants to stop giving grants to universities and ask them to generate it on their own”.

Countering allegations, LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava said ₹100 charge is an attempt to keep track of candidates seeking admission in the degree colleges.