Delhi University Increases Annual Fees by 46%, Teachers Oppose Decision – News18

Delhi University has increased its annual fees by 46 per cent. Now the annual fee of DU has increased to Rs 2,350 in various categories. Many teachers have opposed the university’s decision to increase fees. Teachers have alleged that this is an attempt to extract money from the pockets of students to pay interest on Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) loans.

HEFA had approved a loan of Rs 930 crore for the university in October. DU teachers and Academic Council members claim that the university is imposing these fee hikes to cover the interest on HEFA loans. According to reports, calls made and messages sent to Delhi University registrar Vikas Gupta on this subject have not received any response yet.

A DU professor said that to undertake various development projects, the university is now increasing student fees to repay the interest on the loan taken by the university from HEFA. This is a move that is against the affordable education system of the central university, making it difficult for several students to pursue higher education, the professor said.

DU had informed in an official circular issued on June 7 that the fee for university facilities and services has been doubled to Rs 1,000 from the academic year 2023-24. The university has also doubled its students’ welfare fund fee to Rs 200, while its development fund fee was revised by more than 10 per cent to Rs 1,000 from Rs 900 in June last year.

The annual fee for the Economically Weaker Section Assistance University Fund has also been revised to Rs 150 for the new academic year. This is the second increase in a period of one year after the previous increase in annual fees notified in July last year.