Hindu College to reconsider stand on girls’ hostel
After announcing that no students would be admitted to its newly-constructed women’s hostel following protests over fees hike and strict set of rules from this year, the Delhi University’s Hindu Colle
After announcing that no students would be admitted to its newly-constructed women’s hostel following protests over fees hike and strict set of rules from this year, the Delhi University’s Hindu College has now decided to reconsider its decision.
“There were protests by a section of students against the fees and the rules. I discussed the issue with the governing body and we decided to not make any enrolments from this year and meanwhile resolve the concerns of the students. However, this resulted in protests by another set of students,” Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava said.
“We have decided to reconsider the matter and have formed a committee which will include student representatives and members of teaching and non-teaching staff. If there is a consensus on the new plan, including fees and hostel rules in time for the new session, the college may make enrolments from this academic session itself,” she added.
Hindu College has been providing on-campus hostel facilities to male students for decades. However, the girls’ hostel, which has been constructed now, was supposed to be functional from the 2016-17 session. The prospectus for admissions to the hostel triggered an outrage among the girl students who alleged that the rules laid down were “discriminatory” and amounted to “moral policing.” The prescribed fees also irked the students as the male students of the same college pay Rs 47,000 as hostel charges while the girls were asked to pay more than Rs 82,000.
Taking suo motu cognisance, the National Commission for Women had last week issued a notice to the college, seeking an explanation about the hostel rules for girls, which have been termed as moral policing by the students.
The students have been protesting against the alleged discrimination between girls and boys while deciding the rules and the fees for the hostel.
Following protests, the college authorities had announced there would be no admissions to the girls’ hostel and the students who had taken the prospectus were asked to return them while getting their fees refunded.
Sunaina Mehra, a first year student, said, “The college authorities directly thought to cancel the admission process to the hostel following the protests. If that only had to happen then what was the need to construct the hostel for us. Instead of cancelling the admission, they should have made the changes in the rules”
“Why is it that the college administration is doing everything after the students are protesting and showing outrage. First they had set up bizarre rules, then they all of a sudden decide not to take students in the hostel and now they have thought to reconsider it,” said student Shikha Chatterjee.