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No AUSU in Fee Review Team? Students Cry Foul, Demand Real Representation
When the cost of education rises, it is not just numbers on a receipt that change—it is lives, futures, and access to opportunity that hang in the balance. The recent developments at Assam University are a stark reminder of this reality.
Earlier this month, the Assam University administration formed a Fees Review Committee following campus-wide unrest over sudden and steep hikes in tuition and service fees. But in a move that has sparked outrage and disbelief among the student community, the university left out its elected student representatives—the Assam University Students’ Union (AUSU)—from the decision-making table.
This exclusion is not just a procedural oversight. It is an institutional failure to acknowledge the legitimate and democratic voice of students at a time when their stakes in the issue are highest.
According to the AUSU, the newly formed five-member committee includes three faculty members and two master’s students, but not a single AUSU office-bearer. AUSU President Bhaskar Goswami and General Secretary were left out. No research scholar representative was included either, despite scholars being among those hardest hit by the fee revisions.
In a public statement issued on August 1, Goswami minced no words:
“No fee-related decision can ever truly be just without the presence of real student representation.”
The facts he laid out speak volumes. Under the new structure, annual tuition fees were raised from ₹3,600 to ₹4,200. Bus fees jumped from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000. Thesis evaluation fees for research scholars were hiked from ₹8,000 to a staggering ₹15,000. Laboratory charges rose from ₹3,000 to ₹4,000.
For many students—especially those from economically disadvantaged and rural backgrounds—these are not marginal increases. They are existential burdens.
Yet, while the administration appears to have "listened" to student concerns, the lack of action in terms of genuine representation reveals a concerning disconnect. AUSU’s criticism is clear: listening is not the same as acting, and acknowledgment without structural inclusion is simply cosmetic.
In an official letter addressed to Prof. Piyush Pandey, Chairperson of the review committee, AUSU has demanded the immediate inclusion of four key representatives:
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President, AUSU
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General Secretary, AUSU
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Sports Secretary, AUSU
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President, Assam University Research Scholars' Forum (AURSF)
This is not an unreasonable ask. If anything, it is the bare minimum in any democratic academic institution that claims to function with transparency, fairness, and student welfare in mind.
The AUSU has warned that should the final fee recommendations fail to address these core concerns—or if the review process continues without student participation—it will resort to renewed protests. And rightly so. When students are excluded from discussions about their own financial burden, protest becomes not just a tool of dissent but a necessity.
“This is not just about money,” Goswami stated. “This is about our right to education, our right to be heard, and our right to justice.”
He’s right.
Across the country, student unions in central universities are demanding not only affordability but agency—demanding to be treated not as passive recipients of policy, but as partners in shaping it. Assam University cannot afford to remain an outlier. Not when trust between students and administration is already fraying.
The review committee, expected to submit its recommendations within two weeks, now faces a crucial choice. It can carry on as a symbolic exercise—or it can reset the process by giving students the seat at the table they not only demand, but deserve.
The stakes are higher than a few thousand rupees. They are about the future of inclusive, equitable, and democratic education in India.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publication.
Also Read: What’s Behind the Silent Surge in Fees at Assam University?