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A hunger strike called by students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati, against withdrawal of fee waivers for those belonging to economically weaker sections came to an end after 48 hours of negotiations on Monday, 28 January.
As part of an on-campus protest that began on 17 January against privatisation of education and increase in hostel and dining fees, 13 students eligible for the Government of India-Post Matric Scholarship (GoI-PMS) went on a hunger strike on Monday.
For the past 13 days, over 60 students of the GOI PMS students’ association protested, rallied, boycotted classes and shouted slogans to voice their demands and rights. Around 66 percent of the students of TISS, Guwahati, are from the Northeast, most of them belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Due to lack of funds from the government, the waiver was lifted last year, after which the students protested in February 2018. The result of this protest was that only the 2017 batch received the fee waiver. A student told me:
Kavitha, another student who was part of the protest, told me:
After negotiations and discussion with the Deputy Director Kalpana Sarathy, SC/ST Convenor RK Debbarma and other faculty members, an agreement was made to ensure that GoI-PMS students apply for student aid fund and receive maximum to full financial support from the institute and other sources.
According to the agreement, those who will not be able to pay the asked amount can now pay in instalments and will not face any kind of academic discrimination on the basis of their financial capacity.
Brinda Daulagupu, another member of the association who was also on strike, said that she was satisfied with the efforts made.
Tikendra Rai Chelak, President of the GoI-PMS Students’ Association of the TISS, Guwahati campus, said:
Going forward, the students of the association will work along with the faculty and the administration to increase financial aid received by the institute and to ensure that students receive the amount needed.
(The author is a student at TISS Guwahati. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
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