Soon after the meeting on Friday, MHRD secretary R Subrahmanyam told mid-day that every year the ministry releases a fund of Rs 50-60 crore for the institute and there has been no reduction in it
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It seems a meeting between officials of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has made the situation worse for the institute authorities. Soon after the meeting on Friday, MHRD secretary R Subrahmanyam told mid-day that every year the ministry releases a fund of Rs 50-60 crore for the institute and there has been no reduction in it. This has not only made the administration's stand questionable but has also made the students firmer on their stand of continuing with the protest till all their demands were met.
Starting a dialogue
Speaking to mid-day, Subrahmanyam said, "The purpose of the meeting was to initiate a dialogue to strengthen the institute. The institute receives funding from MHRD, but is not owned by it, hence comprehensive efforts are required to resolve the issue. Every year we release R50-60 crore as funds and there has been no reduction in it. However, we only meet the expenses for running the institute, which includes the teaching and learning activities. The institute needs to resolve the scholarship issue." However, the students still think that there is not much clarity on the fact whether the funds are meant for scholarships or for other expenses of the institute.
"It's great that the MHRD officials came to the campus to meet us. Finally a dialogue has started. It's a significant move and we'll continue with the strike. The movement won't end at discussions. We want the institute to act in the matter," said Shefali Saini, one of the protesting students. She further said, "We are shocked to know that there has been no fund cut on part of MHRD. But the institute has been stating fund crunch as the main reason behind stopping the scholarships. If the government has already released funds, then why is the institute giving such a reason?"
Online petition supports protest
While a part of the students' union continues with the dharna at the main gate of the institute, some ex-students have started an online petition on change.org through Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP) organization. The petition states, "Financial assistance in the form of scholarships and fee waivers have played an important role in helping students from the marginalised sections. Removal of such financial assistance shakes the very base of these constitutional safeguards. CJP expresses solidarity with the protesting students of TISS. We also urge fellow citizens to provide strength to the protest as they are fighting for issues that plague the education system. It includes privatisation of education and government policies aimed at excluding the socially marginalised sections."
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