Kerala student discontinues agriculture course citing exorbitant fee

Thiruvananthapuram: A student from a farmer family in Kerala was forced to discontinue his study in a government agriculture college in the state owing to the steep increase in the fees.

Arjun, who hails from Thamarasserry on the suburbs of Kozhikode, posted a video on social media telling his plight after collecting transfer certificate from the College of Agriculture at Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram.

Arjun who joined the degree course in the merit seat this year said that the fee per semester was around Rs 15,000 while he was seeking admission. Now it has been increased to Rs 50,000, which his family could not afford.

"There are many students like me from weak financial backgrounds who could not afford this exorbitant fee. Hence the university authorities should consider reduction in the fees," he urged in the post that has gone viral.

Several student outfits, including the ruling left-front's student outfits, have staged a protest against the fee hike.

The College of Agriculture said in a statement that they used to ensure that no students would have to discontinue education owing to financial crunches. Various scholarships and financial assistance initiatives are being offered to students from financially weak backgrounds. Arjun was also eligible for scholarship and hence there was no reason for him to discontinue studies owing to financial reasons, said the statement.

Incidentally, the plight of a student over the high fee at a government college in Kerala is coming out at a time when the state is witnessing a row over the left-front government's decision to implement PM SHRI in the state. CPI is strongly opposing PM SHRI citing that it could lead to commercialization of the education sector through NEP.