Students oppose BRAC University’s plan to raise semester fees by Tk 7,000

Students of Dhaka’s BRAC University have expressed frustration over the institution’s decision to raise semester fees by Tk 7,000.

The hike will go into effect from 2020 when the private university moves to its permanent campus in Merul Badda, according to a notice published on the university’s website on Jan 10.

The extra fee will go into the maintenance of the new campus and other facilities, the authorities said.

The decision shoots up annual fees for the students by Tk 21,000.

The university authorities have described it as “development fees”, but students say it will put enormous pressure on them.

First semester student Tahsin Mahmud said he got to know about the fee hike at the freshers’ reception.

“This extra fee feels like an immense pressure,” he said adding that the new rate will exceed his estimated budget.

Fourth semester student Rumin Rahman will have to bear the expense for a year before graduation. “My father saved a certain amount for my education. Education is already expensive here. This additional fee is no less than torture,” he said.

Another student of the same batch, Md Sakib, echoed him.

The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh said it was not aware of any such decision by the BRAC University.

“The UGC never ordered universities to impose extra fees on students for building permanent campuses,” said UGC Chairman Abdul Mannan.

“The universities must inform the UGC about fees that they set in line with social and economic conditions. BRAC did not do so,” he told bdnews24.com.

The UGC may seek explanations from the university.

The students of North South University had earlier protested such a decision by the institution, the UGC chairman added.

“The private universities often impose such fees. I morally oppose such moves.”

BRAC University Registrar Shib Narayan Kairy claimed that the additional fees have not been introduced out of the blue.

“The new campus will offer many new services that will increase our maintenance costs. The students must pay the fees in order to enjoy the facilities. They have been briefed on this before,” he said.

Asked how long the students will be paying the increased fees, Kairy said calculations were needed to ascertain that. “The fees were set after some estimations. Let us move to the new campus first, then the board of trustees and syndicate will decide.”