Universities Islandwide are charging the students higher registration and hostel fees since the Government is not allocating sufficient funds for them, Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) convener Sanjeewa Bandara said yesterday.
Meanwhile the Students at the University of Ruhuna were boycotting their classes in protest of this, Mr. Bandara said.
“The University of Ruhuna is charging 10 times more as hostel fees from the Medical Faculty students,” Mr. Bandara said. According to him the hostel fee which was Rs. 600 per annum was increased to Rs. 500 per month overnight.
Read moreFour students share a room and each student will have to pay Rs. 2000 per room every month, Mr. Bandara said. “If the students did not make the payment their examination results will not be released,” he added.
The University of Ruhuna had increased its course registration fees from Rs. 200 to Rs. 1000 for a six month supplementary language course, Mr. Bandara said. At meetings held with the student body; the university administration said that they had arrived at a decision and it was final.
“How can they increase so drastically? Since the Mahapola scholarships weren’t increased and the salaries of the Government sector employees were also not increased,” Mr. Bandara said. The Agriculture Faculty of the University of Ruhuna had fitted electricity meters to every room and the students would have to pay for electricity and hostel fees.
Courtesy - DM By Sumaiya Rizvi
