Patna University (PU) seems to have ignored a state government order not to charge girl students tuition fee.
Under former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, the cabinet took a decision in the first week of February last year to provide free education to girl students from Class 1 till postgraduation. Later, when Nitish Kumar replaced him, his cabinet okayed the proposal.
But Patna University took admission fee from girl students in July-August last year.
It later emerged that the government order saying that girl students from Class 1 to postgraduate level be not charged admission fee was issued only in September last year.
The matter is being raised again, as the PU administration is charging examination fees now (ongoing). Various students' organisations have started a protest against the PU administration for not giving admission fee waiver to girl students.
"When we took admission into the second year of economics, we raised the issue of the state government directive on fee waiver to girl students, but the college administration said they had not received any official notification," a girl student of the undergraduate economics course at Magadh Mahila College said. "The college is again charging fees from girl students."
Magadh Mahila College charges Rs 4,000 as admission fee from general category students.
Girl students have not received fee waivers at the postgraduate level either. An official of the postgraduate economics department at Patna University said: "The department charges Rs 3,510 as admission fee." He, too, said they had not received any official notification in this connection.
PU registrar Sanjay Kumar Sinha said: "There was some confusion when admission process at PU colleges and postgraduate departments began in July-August, as there was no official notification from the state government in this regard."
The education department notification came in the first week of September, when the admission process was already underway. In such a situation, the university had no option but to collect fees from those who had not paid also.
Regarding examination fee being collected now, the registrar said the waiver applied only to admission fees.
Education department sources said the notification on fee waiver to girl students was issued a week before model code of conduct for Bihar elections came into force on September 9 last year.
Education department minister Ashok Chaudhary said: "We will look into the matter so that the university follows the state government's notification."
Sources said the university has now received the notification. Also, letters have been issued to colleges and postgraduate departments. So, in all likelihood girl students will get fee waivers from the next academic session.
