Unrest among students as Thiruvalluvar University orders collection of exam fees once again

The students had already paid the fees and been given a pass based on internal marks owing to the COVID-19 pandemic
Students of Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai, form the image of Tamil scholar Thiruvalluvar on the occasion of World Classical Tamil Conference. ENS
Students of Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai, form the image of Tamil scholar Thiruvalluvar on the occasion of World Classical Tamil Conference. ENS

VELLORE/TIRUVANNAMALAI: Thiruvalluvar University’s (TVU) fiat to collect fees once again for holding the semester examinations has led to unrest among students and authorities of affiliated colleges. The students had already paid the fees and been given a pass based on internal marks owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a meeting held at the university on Wednesday, the authorities had directed the principals of the affiliated colleges to hold the examinations and collect the fees once again from the students citing the Madras High Court’s displeasure over the issue of giving a pass without holding examinations, sources said.

They alleged that the VC had ordered the principals to hold the examinations for under-graduate (UG) and post-graduate (PG) students from February 15 to 24 and declare the results on February 25 without doing any preparations.

The examination fees account for Rs 90 per paper for UG and Rs 150 for PG students, apart from Rs 75 each for mark sheets and registration. About 3.5 lakh students are studying at 125 colleges affiliated to the varsity.

The authorities of colleges have found it difficult to locate students who have completed the courses and collect the fees from them once again.

“They had already paid the fees and were given a pass with average marks based on the internal scores. Since they had paid the fees already, they can’t be fleeced once again,” said a college principal.

He noted that when objections were raised during the meeting chaired by the VC, she did not respond positively and forced the principals to obey the orders.

The principal noted that Madras University had conducted the examinations following fresh instructions for UG and PG but without collection of fees again.

Moreover, with hardly two days left for holding the examinations, the TVU has not yet furnished the list of students, question papers or answer sheets.

TVU’s fiat to hold examination by collecting fees once again has led to anxiety and tension among students. They had resorted to a strike in some colleges including the government arts college in Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district, sources informed.

They had demanded that college authorities hold the examinations without fleecing them once again.

Sources stated that the students of another government college at Gudiyatham in Vellore district had raised the issue with the principal.

TVU authorities did not respond to repeated calls on the issue.

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