IITians Are Feeling The Pinch

Fee hike can hit students of low-income groups

- Jinoy Jose P

When Muneer Mohammed* got out of his Plus Two a few years ago, he desperately wanted to get into an IIT for his graduation. “Yes, these institutions are the best places to study. But I was desperate because an IIT is where I could get the best education at an affordable fee rate,” says Mohammed who hails from Kerala.

He joined IIT Madras and is pursuing a BTech course at the institution. “I’m lucky, unlike my younger brother who is pursuing his Plus Two now,” he says. If he makes it to the IIT, Mohammed’s brother will now be paying nearly double the amount his brother had paid as fees. “IIT fees have gone up steeply during the past few years, making it really difficult for people like my and my brother to afford education here,” he says.

Fees at India’s IIT remained unchanged for long and a major shakeup came in November 2012 when the IIT Council recommended an 80 per cent hike in undergraduate fees, which meant the fees would go up by ₹90,000 a year. The hike came into effect in 2013. While announcing the decision, the minister for state for HRD, Pallam Raju, had said that the fee structure would undergo a review every year. The revised rates would be applicable for the new entrants and the fee-waiver schemes for ST/ST and 25 per cent of the students from the economically disadvantaged backgrounds would continue, he said.