Prof Mushtaq Ahmad Siddique, Vice Chancellor (VC) Islamic University and Science and Technology (IUST) on Monday said the varsity has decided to charge only tuition fee to students for the COVID19 lockdown period.
The VC said the students would not be charged transport fee or hostel fee for the lockdown months.
The VC made the statement following complaints by the students that the varsity was forcing them to clear the pending dues.
“Students have to pay the tuition fee as it is linked with our annual budget. We’re are not forcing students to clear the pending fee of 2020 but they have not cleared the semester fee of 2019,” said the VC.
The VC said the tuition fee was linked with the salary of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the University and they have to be paid the salary as they remained completely engaged with online education during the closure period.
“We cannot deny them salary for these months because they worked tirelessly for holding online classes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the IUST students complained that the varsity was forcing them to submit online examination form to appear in the exams.
The Association of Class Representative (CR) has written to the varsity administration and demanded that the students of batch 2018 and 2019 should be promoted to next semesters officially with the immediate effect as they were not able to focus on the studies.
“It deeply concerns all the students how or what measures will be taken for an evaluation process. The students do not demand mass promotion but evaluation as per UGC protocol that are based on internal assessment and previous record,” reads a communication, addressed to IUST administration.
It reads there has been no class work for last 10 months. “But the University wants the students of both the batches to fill their exam forms by online mode. We will not fill the forms till situation returns to normalcy,” it reads.
The students said the department was sending messages and assignments to the students. “The administration should ask all the departments not to put extra burden on students as we are already undergoing disturbing times,” the letter reads, adding the students will boycott the exams to be conducted in any form by the varsity.
“IUST has no students’ special grievance cell despite direction from the UGC. We will write to UGC about it as well,” reads the communication.