Afont>
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has welcomed the Supreme Court judgement upholding the HRD Ministry'sdecision to reduce fees in the prestigious IIMs by which an exorbitant amount of Rs 1,50,000 per annum has been brought down to a more rational Rs 30,000 per annum. ?At the same time the stand of the Ministry, reiterated in the court not to interfere in the autonomy of these institutions and provide more funds to them for carrying out high quality professional education are commendable and praiseworthy,? said ABVP national secretary, Jatin Mohanty, in a statement issued in New Delhi.
He said that by this action it has been almost endorsed by both the executive and the judiciary that public institutions are not only meant for the rich and powerful people, but are also affordable for the poor and the meritorious. At the same time ABVP made a strong note of the attitude of some of the feudal and elite intellectuals who have stood publicly against this decision of the government on the superfluous pretext of loss of autonomy and quality degradation. The statement said that such gestures from the government should not only be limited to IIMs but also be extended to other professional and general higher education as a whole and to bring out a central legislation rationalising the fee structure. ?In this context, the ABVP demands that a high power committee be set up by the UGC and HRD Ministry to study the situation and make suitable recommendations and make education free from corruption and exploitation,? the statement said. (FOC)
