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https://www.barandbench.com/news/lawschools/nlu-delhi-more-than-doubles-its-fee-for-incoming-students
Sorry, but the hike is completely justified and, in my view, should have been hiked even further to 5 lakhs or so. You cannot expect universities of a high standard if you pay low fees. I am not even talking about private college like Jindal or Ashoka or ISB or medical colleges (where the fees can be 1 crore): look at GOVERNMENT colleges like IIT and IIM.
Also, it's bullshit hypocrisy to complain about paying 3 lakhs a year when kids have no problems paying thousands to buy iPhones and the latest designer clothes.
If you want to pay cut-price fees, then go to TLCs.
Quote:
As for unaffordability, it is incumbent on the admin to facilitate scholarships as well as education loans for the needy, so that no meritorious student is denied an opportunity to study for want of money.
I think NLS has been rather mature about this, and conversing openly about the fiscal state of the university, while also building out a philanthropic network for fundraising, campus investment, and scholarships. NLUD could learn a thing or two.
1. It's one of over 100%. Fees hikes are supposed to be gradual. You can't expect people to just abandon their financial planning just because one day you wake up and find things too costly. When students wrote ailet or took admission in nlud they had certain expectations about the fee structure and doubling it overnight cannot be justified because there was no fee hike in the past, as the VC quotes. Such a hike is unprecedented for any NLU or any other gov institution with a similar fee structure.
2. No reason whatsoever has been put forth to justify the hike. Can a 100% hike be justified if there is no substantial improvement in the facilities or quality available to the students? All the VC has quoted is that such hike was long overdue. I am pretty sure that till this moment the university had not taken debt to teach its students which suddenly needs repayment. I fail to see the urgent need to double the revenue at once given that there's no info about the gov cutting its grants.
3. The student body, which is the biggest stakeholder, was not consulted. While the college boasts of being #2 on NIRF (whatever that is worth), the admin goes on to unilaterally impose bone crushing burden on students and their families without keeping anyone in the loop or even hinting at why it may be needed. The absence of any consultation whatsoever does not bode well for the university's future and rightly garners the concern of the student body.
The lack of funds is only a cover for the incompetence of the current admin. Since SKD, the college has maintained a pathetic state of affairs. Quality of life within the hostels has deteriorated exponentially and the admin has taken a series of unilateral decisions that have had serious impact on the student body. This may be the culmination or maybe it's only the beginning.
They did mention the increased fees when AILET registrations began for this year. So, it's not some sudden change in policy after students had written the AILET. People could have withdrawn if they thought the fees was exorbitant. And honestly, the facilities in college are good. Air-conditioned hostels, one of the best law libraries, modern infrastructure for the Academic Block, etc.
But the main question is does the fee hike apply for previous batches as well? When I was there, the previous batches paid only the fees that they paid when they initially joined for the entirety of their five years.
This comes from a very privileged position, and such students are in the small small minority. Have you even spoken to your batchmates? Try understanding the financial condition of everyone and see that half of them study on student debt.. at insane interest rates and in a profession that does not even pay enough for sustenance for the ordinary un-connected first gen law student.
This has started to liken to the conditions in US law schools where most people take on immense debt and then are stuck in mindless corporate slavery for years. But that should be fine in US Biglaw as the pay is at least much much better, not in India where 90 percent law students are gonna work for no pay for 5-6 years in courts.
But I think the fees hike is quite justified and even every law college should substantially hike the fee in order to lower the arbitrary admissions taken by random students across India. we all are aware of the statements that one has to hear ' kuch nai to law kar liya'. If the legal education system is strong, independent, and offers quality pay to the professors, I think we can make a difference not only in improving the legal education system but also the job prospects.
This is something to think about.
Most scholarships that the university talks about end at levels of 4l, so there is close to no coverage for people from the EWS/OBC category who fall in the 4-8L bracket. Sure, the university may bring out more scholarship/assistance programmes for them, but there was little to no disclosure about this during the entire counselling process, and this may have very well deterred individuals who may have secured a seat here but couldn't pay the required fee.
Not every kid here rocks an iPhone, the larger student body after the increased representation in the batches is middle-class that comes from rather humble backgrounds. If you are blind to them and their experiences though, that's a you issue.
Even if EVERY kid here supposedly had an iPhone, and was well-off, I would say that it would have still been utterly wrong. This is because of the idea of public institutions at large. I should not have to go out and empty my parents coffers for an education, because(again as per government lingo) I have PROVED that I rightfully deserve to have a seat in this place. If I deserve to have a seat here, and I have gone through a public, transparent process to get here, I must be given access to it free from mighty incumbrances, further because it is the government that is seen to discharge its duties of dispensing education to the public. Why am I being made to pay so heavily for a government duty that I, directly and indirectly, pay for anyway?
I do not think you also understand the importance of NLUs, and the goals for which they were set-up for. The larger goal of this was to create socially conscious lawyers, and that is why they had to be public institutions. This goal gets crushed once you impose such a heavy financial cost on the heads of those entering this institution. Sure, law firm jobs are dominant now, but they may very well seem to be the only option once such a heavy fee is imposed on the heads of people that enter here. We may very well then be saying a goodbye to first-generational litigators or academics who would feel forced to only consider corp as a possibility here.
Comparison with IITs is unjustified, simply because during internships/career opportunities the average income levels are a lot higher than they are here. Even taking that case though, IIT Madras charges only 2lpa, compared to the mammoth 3.65 being asked for by the NLU Delhi Administration. IIT Delhi charges people at the same rate based on their income still.