Coimbatore: Members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) the Students Wing of CPI (M) were arrested today when they assembled to meet the District Collector to submit a petition condemning a private engineering college for illegally collecting fees from students belonging to SC/ST.
Coimbatore: Members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) the Students Wing of CPI (M) were arrested today when they assembled to meet the District Collector to submit a petition condemning a private engineering college for illegally collecting fees from students belonging to SC/ST.
About 45 members were arrested by the police when they tried to assemble at the Collector's office. "Four years ago, the Government issued an order that relaxed fees for students belonging to SC/ST. The Government order 92 was issued to encourage students belonging to SC/ST to take up higher education at private engineering colleges," opined Dinesh, District Secretary, SFI.
"As per the order, SC/ST students do not have to pay any fees to the college management. The fees would be reimbursed by the Government which had set apart a huge fund for the education of SC/ST students. However, citing that there is a backlog from the Government's end in paying the amount due as fees for these students and refusing to show proof of Government orders to them, private engineering colleges in Coimbatore are forcing students to pay the fees.
Hence, we decided to meet the District Collector to press our demands to implement the Government order. However, we were stopped even before the petition could be submitted," alleged Dinesh.
Dinesh also stated that the Government has not paid to the colleges from the fund allocated for this purpose. He said, "It is due to this that colleges have intensified the pressure on the SC/ST students. Many of the students were forced to pay semester fees and the hostel fees amounting to RS.50,000 and above, due to the threat issued by college authorities that they will not be allowed to write the examination and also for various other reasons."
The District Secretary of SFI strongly condemned the private college for such action and demanded a proper inquiry by the District Collector on the issue.