In February, TISS announced the withdrawal of financial aid to SC and ST students, leading to a massive students’ agitation against the move.
New Delhi: The protests at Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai over withdrawal of financial aid to SC and ST students has drawn the attention of the central government – it has decided to set up a committee to assess the ‘financial health’ of the institution.
It has also decided to nudge the premier institution to seek funds from alumni, industry and well-wishers to raise additional resources to overcome the shortage, if any.
The panel being set up by the human resource development (HRD) ministry will look closely at the finances of TISS: its asset, liabilities, and expenditure patterns. It will submit a report by 30 March, ThePrint has learnt. The committee will include members from the University Grants Commission, TISS, the institute’s students’ union and the HRD ministry.
Reason for the move
The government is of the view that TISS did not ensure strong enough financial linkages for the waiver scheme for SC/ST students. The institute announced the withdrawal of the scheme in February this year citing a fund crunch, which sparked the agitation.
It is learnt that a resolution – supported by government representatives – will be moved at the TISS board meeting on 13 March, seeking voluntary contributions from alumni, industry and all well-wishers, to continue the full waiver that the protesting students are demanding.
“TISS is a premier institution and we want it to continue working on good quality research that can in fact also guide the government. We feel that TISS did design the scheme with a good intent, but could not link it up adequately with financial support,” a source told ThePrint.
TISS is one of eight fully-funded deemed universities which have been facing progressive fund cuts since 2015 as part of a government drive to shift institutes into self-sustaining modes.
About 1,100 students are affected by the recent decision to withdraw financial aid; TISS had cited a shortfall of Rs 20 crore in its circular.
It is estimated that it would cost a donor no more than Rs 50,000 per annum to support a student. Accordingly, a contribution drive calling for ‘each one, fund one’, will be proposed at the TISS board meet.
The idea is to run the contribution mission on campaign mode as an alternative mechanism to raise additional funds for the institute.
TISS had also sought the HRD ministry’s intervention in 2015-16 to resolve the row over delay in release of funds by the UGC, which was forcing it to borrow money from banks to pay staff salaries.
The agitation
The agitation erupted after TISS withdrew financial aid to SC and ST students who were found eligible for the government-run Post-Matric Scholarship scheme.
Earlier, the scholarship amount came to the institute, now with Direct Benefit Transfer in place, the scholarship amount is to be credited directly to the students’ accounts. Therefore, these students, as per the new TISS circular, would have to pay hostel and dining hall charges to the institute.
The circular sparked strong protests at the campus, with students saying the move would adversely affect disadvantaged students, who may not have the wherewithal to pay the institute up front and wait for government reimbursements. Students have also demanded that the students from the 2016-18 and 2017-19 batches should be exempted from the new mechanism.
Students have termed the TISS move as a one directed against SC and ST students. Their protests have also found support from various social and political organisations.