Point Counter Point on JNU fees hike: Tax payers’ money for statues and jets alone?

While JNU fees hike was rolled back by the central government, it dominated discussions on Twitter earlier in the week. While some felt that the current hostel and other fees in JNU were absurdly low, others strongly refuted the campaign against students by pointing out that the Government had no business to spend tax payers’ money on statues while denying quality higher education to the poor either free or at affordable cost.

We publish a selection of Tweets on the subject:

• They will cheer for a Rs 3000 crore statue & a 191 crore aircraft jet but will cry about the taxpayer's money being spent on a university. Education is not a privilege, it's a RIGHT.

• During my MA, my neighbour hostel mate was daughter of manual scavenger, sociology student. She did tutions, to pay her fee and send to her parents. Today she is at World Bank. Ppl who write about fee has no idea what Rs 600 meant to her.

• Vajpayee was PM for over 6 years, Modi PM for over 5 and CM for 13. Name one university worth anything, forget of the #JNU standard, they built. If you can’t, then you know what kind of a future you are choosing for the country.

• It is not just the fight of the students of #JNU, it is the fight of every poor student in the country who is unable to get higher education in expensive private institutions. May student unity be alive.

• JNU: A University of nation-builders, has for generations, made possible the blossoming of talent at affordable costs: exactly as it should be. The unprecedented pressure the BJP govt has brought upon it, to break its spirit should not be allowed to succeed. 900% fee hikes??

• 30 years back, I paid more fees at IIT Delhi. Why this drama today? JNU is the worst place in India. Is this the values you want to instill? A freebie youth? Ridiculous!!

• JNU students give more than 22 Crores to the university as the HRA they receive from various scholarship yet the Admin says they have no money. Same admin has money for building statues and paying Business Class tickets to Sri Sri!!

• Unfortunately Indians today would rather have their taxes pay for Ram mandir than for public education. Yes, health and education should be free.

• Statue of Unity - 3000 cr Cost of printing new notes after demo b/w 2016-18 - almost 13,000 cr. Money spent by BJP on ads since 2014-2018 - over 5,200 cr But, public univs like JNU are a waste of tax payers money because poor can study there.

• This rant about students enjoying freebies on taxpayer’s money is the most bizarre argument I’ve ever heard! What else is the taxpayer’s money supposed to subsidize if not public health and education?! Statues and temples?

• It is to all the people out there who is writing that fees should be increased in JNU... I just want to ask a simple question.... Is it necessary to have money for education?

• It was in JNU that I could manage my MA, MPhil and PhD with very little money my father could send me every month... used to get Rs. 300 during MA and that was enough. MPhil and PhD were possible with a fellowship of Rs. 900 and 1200 per month. 1985-91

• People who learn foreign languages and cultures become diplomats, translators, and spies, all of which are legitimate and useful professions. Africa is the next frontier. So African Studies is extremely important.

• For some people this may be a surprise but even Universities like Delhi University and Jamia are way too costly for a lot of students. JNU is an exception. It shouldn't have been... Unfortunately, it wont be.

• We need more universities where poorest of the poor could study instead of turning Universities like JNU unaffordable. If taxpayer money shouldn't be used on health and education, where shall that be used?

• Still remember the initial semesters when mess would be closed on certain festivals & many of us would worry for dinner coz JNU's cheap dhabas too were too much for us. Thanks to subsidised mess food and MCM scholarship, I could study to be a taxpayer. Came to Delhi in 2004..worked in a call centre before taking admission in JNU. Had I not cracked the JNU entrance test, I might not have got higher education coz it was unaffordable for me. Even 5k/month was too much. JNU made it possible. In solidarity with JNU