Need fool-proof system for non recurrence of such issue: HRD on JNU protest

The HRD Ministry has called for a "foolproof" system to prevent recurrence of issues like the ongoing standoff between the JNU administration and students over the hostel fee hike, according to officials.

The ministry has also asked the university to sympathetically consider and give a relaxation of two weeks to make up for the lost academic period.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University students boycotted exams on Thursday over the hostel fee hike issue, but students of the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies (SSIS) appeared for their papers.

"The ministry has emphasised that not only shall the campus return to normalcy but a foolproof system shall be put in place for non-recurrence of such issues in the future," a senior HRD Ministry official said.

"We have stressed in our meetings with all the stakeholders in JNU that they should adopt a flexible approach in order to find a satisfactory solution and end the confrontationist situation prevailing in the campus since the last month or more," the official said.

The HRD Ministry held a series of talks with the university administration and the students' union and offered to remove service and utility charges.

The institution has been seeing protests for over a month over the hostel fee hike issue and even though the university has twice offered partial rollbacks, the students have refused to accept them.

The ministry last month set up a three-member committee to recommend ways to restore normalcy in JNU and mediate between students and university administration. The panel has submitted its report but the ministry is yet to take a call on it.

The ministry last week asked the high-powered committee to compare the hostel fee structure of JNU, after the second rollback, with other central universities.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' informed the Lok Sabha on Monday the government has not directed any central university to increase fees.

His comment came on a day the police lathicharged JNU students when they tried to march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet the president and urge him to ensure the hike in hostel fee is completely rolled back.