Chandigarh, July 7. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has strongly condemned the recent fee hike at Guru Jambheshwar University. He stated that the government has abruptly increased the fees for several courses, including LLB, by nearly one and a half times. This sudden hike will make it extremely difficult for students from economically weaker sections, SC, OBC, and farming families to pursue higher education. According to Hooda, it is evident that under a deliberate policy, the BJP aims to systematically exclude these sections from access to quality education by continuously raising university fees.
For instance, the fee for BA-LLB, which was ₹49,800 last year, has now been directly raised to ₹75,000. Similarly, the fees for other programs such as BA Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, B. Tech., and many more have also been substantially increased. Even last year, fees for numerous courses were hiked in the same arbitrary manner.
Hooda further pointed out that the BJP government had earlier issued an official directive refusing to provide financial grants to universities, suggesting instead that universities should become self-sufficient by increasing course fees. Although this directive was withdrawn due to opposition pressure at the time, it is evident that the underlying policy remains intact. Today, government universities are being forced to adopt the fee structures of private institutions, making higher education unaffordable for a large section of society.
During its entire tenure, over the past 11 years, the BJP has not established a single central university, state university, polytechnic, ITI, or engineering college. In contrast, during the Congress government, one central university (Mahendragarh), 12 new government universities, 154 new polytechnic colleges, 56 new ITIs, and four new government engineering colleges were opened. Additionally, the Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Sonipat was developed, housing numerous world-class universities and institutions.
At the same time, government schools are being systematically shut down, and fees at state universities are being consistently raised. It is clear that the BJP intends to privatise the entire education system, thereby depriving a vast segment of the population of their right to education.
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