FOREIGN FEE HIKE

The recent eligibility-fee hike for foreign students by Bangalore University came with utter disgrace to many parents and students who are in-due seeking admissions in the same university. It’s a sad news for students who are dreaming to get the admissions here after, for its eligibility fee itself would leave us flattened despite a huge tuition fee to the concerned affiliated colleges. There has been an increase in the price of everything and I see no reason why Bangalore University shouldn’t be increasing its eligibility fee. There is every reason to increase the amount but not unreasonably with an unimaginable hike. The university has increased its eligibility fee from Rs. 8860 to Rs. 25000 which is almost a 300% increase. And this is something unthinkable for foreign students hailing from poor countries, around the world, such as Uganda, Tanzania, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and so on. Had the hike but been for the western affluent people, it would have meant nothing than just an addition of a few dollars. But living in a society of hand-to-mouth existence, where life bleeds in trouble, the ability of paying such a huge amount remains out of question.
Over the past few years, I’d been looking at the BU as the only prospective universities in the state that offers education to many foreign national students at cheaper rates. My dreams are shattered and hopes are wilted now. The committee, whoever may be, has blindly increased the amount irrespective of the financial lapses foreign students undergo. Mr Prabhu Dev, Vice-chancellor, BU was quoted as saying by the TOI that no poor person from Nepal and Bhutan comes to study in India. If this statement is true for hundreds, it’s untrue for thousands for there are students, who are in utterly great sufferings, working by themselves, to make up the tuition fee at the least and isn’t an increment of eligibility fee another unbearable load to them? Just because affluent people can pay, poor people, whose only wealth is no other than the education, shouldn’t be left to struggle without any considerations. Decisions have been made but there is, still, a time to make a wiser decision considering the ups and downs of foreign students. With the education becoming very crucial for every individual, there is no one who does not dream of higher education. But, when the universities, that are deemed to serve the society by educating and enlightening every individual, go on fee-hike like this, taking a socially-profit-oriented road, how do the poor cope up? A minimal increase, when implemented is obviously accepted and received with little complaints. But something like today’s hike, which is almost triple the amount is terribly unimaginable. We are aliens here and the university thinks that every one of us, who comes to India are elite with lots of money to be thrown around. This same mind-set is being shared by the autowalas and cab drivers while the ironical fact behind our coming here is different. We are coming here with lots of difficulties just for the sake of higher education seeing the greater social-roles to be played in the near future, globally. Conduct a financial survey of foreign students and one would be appalled to see thousands of foreign students coming under the loan scheme.
Bangalore University has taken the right movement in increasing the eligibility fee but a ridiculous assumption that foreigners are always rich. We are like you after all, with lots of short-falls. We have no tree, in our country, whose divine boughs flower money.