Activists from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), together with students from various colleges of Delhi University (DU) and the School of Open Learning (SOL), held a large protest march in North Campus to highlight pressing issues affecting students’ futures. The demonstration attracted significant participation despite heavy rain and water-logging.
The protest addressed several concerns, chiefly the steep increases in fees at DU, where some courses have seen fees rise by over 300 percent. The escalation has been linked to the implementation of the Higher Education Financing Agency – National Education Policy 2020 (HEFA-NEP 2020) model, which replaces grants with loans to higher education institutions (HEIs). The protesters demanded an immediate rollback of this model and its associated fee hikes.
Issues with substandard study materials provided by the School of Open Learning were also raised. The press release noted that these materials have repeatedly endangered the academic progress of students, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds who are often first-generation learners. Despite sustained objections in statutory bodies, these poor-quality materials remain in use and affect lakhs of students. The demand included the immediate withdrawal of such materials and the implementation of an independent academic audit.
Additional concerns included the academic challenges faced by students from social margins due to a lack of support measures. Protesters called for the introduction of remedial classes for these students and a revamp of DU’s Translation Cell to make texts available in vernacular languages.
The protest highlighted the limited availability of seats in one-year postgraduate courses. DU pioneered the four-year undergraduate (UG) programme following the National Education Policy 2020, which promised one-year master’s courses for graduates. However, seat availability remains low across 46 departments, while over 31,000 students are eligible to pursue these courses. Protesters argued that this promise has not been fulfilled and called for a substantial increase in seats, funding, and faculty to accommodate all interested four-year UG students.
Other demands presented during the protest included the removal of unnecessary Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs) and Value Added Courses (VACs), curricular reforms, allocation of 10 percent Deprivation Points for government school students in admissions, zero tolerance for sexual harassment with independent Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs), initiatives to make DU disabled-inclusive, and an end to restrictions on free expression, peaceful activities, and democratic student rights.
The Krantikari Yuva Sangathan stated that it will escalate its campaign if these demands are not addressed promptly.