SFI Protests Agricultural University Fee Hike, Blocks VC

Thiruvananthapuram: The Students Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest against the arbitrary fee hike at the Agricultural University by blocking the university’s Vice-Chancellor B. Ashok at the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station. The protest was a direct response by the students to the unfair and oppressive fee increase.

Vice-Chancellor B. Ashok was confronted by SFI activists at the railway station, where they demanded an immediate halt to the student-unfriendly policies. The protest was led by SFI State Secretary Sanjeev and President Shivaprasad. A large police contingent was deployed to control the situation, with heavy security ensuring the safe removal of the VC in a police vehicle from the station premises.

Prior to this, SFI Thiruvananthapuram District Committee organised a march to the Vice-Chancellor’s residence in the city, where protestors put up posters in front of the residence gate to symbolize their dissent. Several SFI leaders, including District Secretary Nandan and secretariat members Ashik Pradeep and Anand A.P., were arrested and later released by the police.

The students have strongly opposed the fee hike, which was implemented without any prior warning and amounts to a threefold increase in some cases. SFI has announced that they will escalate the agitation to an indefinite strike if the fee hike is not withdrawn.

The Agricultural University has raised fees for various courses sharply, with hikes ranging from 50% to 350%. The revised fee structure was approved by the Academic Council and will become effective after ratification by the Governing Body. Hostel admission fees have also been increased.

For students admitted in 2024, the tuition fee per semester has increased from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 11,450 for undergraduate courses. Postgraduate tuition fees rose from Rs. 10,900 to Rs. 17,200, while Ph.D. fees went up from Rs. 10,900 to Rs. 19,100. The fee hike for students admitted in 2025 is even more drastic, with undergraduates required to pay Rs. 50,000 per semester, postgraduate students Rs. 55,000, and Ph.D. students Rs. 60,000.