Tata Institute of Social Studies (TISS) campuses across the country are in a state of unrest for the past one week. Since February 21, students and teachers from TISS centres in Mumbai, Tuljapur (in Maharashtra), Guwahati and Hyderabad are protesting in solidarity against what they construe as “privatisation of education.”
TISS students’ protests across its campuses The protest
Since last Wednesday, classes, field work and submissions have been disrupted or, in some cases, boycotted, as the students’ union called for a bandh across TISS campuses.
The protest is against the administration’s decision to withdraw fee waiver offered by the institute to SC and ST students eligible for the Government of India Post-Matric Scholarship (GoI-PMS).
This is what the GoI-PMS under the ministry of minority affairs says – “The objective of the scheme is to award scholarships to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections of minority community so as to provide them better opportunities for higher education, increase their rate of attainment in higher education and enhance their employability.”
Removal of the fee waiver would mean that students from economically weaker backgrounds would have to pay hostel and dining charges upfront. GoI-PMS requires students to apply to the central government for scholarship and the sum is credited to their bank accounts. This provision was applicable to existing students as well.
“The financial aid was mentioned in the prospectus at the time of admission and it was unfair to ask students midway through the course to pay their fees,” said Fahad Ahmad, general secretary of the TISS students’ union, reported The Indian Express. The students’ union is demanding that the 2016-18 and 2017-19 batches be exempted.
Students have termed the scraping off of the fee waiver as “privatisation of education” and have spent hours protesting via slogans and songs.
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TISS TULJAPURIn solidarity with #TISS MUMBAI
Posted by TISS For Everyone on Sunday, February 25, 2018
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#injusTISS #injusTISSatHyd#TISSstarvesforstudies
Posted by TISS For Everyone on Tuesday, February 27, 2018
The main gate of TISS Mumbai is blocked since February 21 and the back gate is being used to let non-residents in and out of the campus.
Front gate of TISS Mumbai as students enter the 7th day of the strike
At least 50 to 70 students have been sleeping at the gate each night since the protest began. Many have avoided using the mess and are bringing food to the gate instead.
Students sleeping near the gate inside TISS campus Students sleeping in protest tents
TISS Hyderabad students have started a hunger strike today to urge the administration to listen to their demands.
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The hunger strike starts in TISS Hyderabad#injusTISS #day7 #chhatraektazindabad #TISSadminmurdabad
Posted by TISS For Everyone on Monday, February 26, 2018
Students of TISS Mumbai blocked the administration block today to demand that the Registrar visits TISS Hyderabad students on hunger strike.
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Students of TISS Mumbai are blocking the administration block to demand that the Registrar go to TISS Hyderabad to…
Posted by TISS For Everyone on Monday, February 26, 2018
How would the withdrawal of fee waiver affect students?
Students fear that the ones belonging to marginalised communities, who find it difficult to afford to pay fees even if it was subsequently reimbursed, will be further discouraged to apply to the institute.
“TISS Guwahati will face the maximum brunt of the withdrawal of fee waiver among all other TISS campuses. We have the highest number of SC/ST students and the highest number of GoI-P…
