JNU: 72 per cent of students registered for session

NEW DELHI: According to the JNU administration, 6,140 students have registered for the winter session, accounting for 72.3% of the student population. Of these, 4,192 are hostel residents and 1,948 day scholars. The administration said these figures constituted 65% of the hostellers and 95% of day students. These claims were contested by JNUSU, which said the figures cited by the administration related actually to students who had cleared their mess dues.
The university also extended the last date for registration by another two days to January 17. In a statement on Thursday, JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said that there was a last minute rush on January 15, the last day, and students had approached the administration to extend the deadline for the winter semester registration.

After the changes in the hostel fee structure, a hostel resident paid from Rs 3,008 to Rs 3,020 for a period of six month during the registration process. This includes Rs 1,800 for hostel rent for six months, Rs 1,100 as security deposit and Rs 108-120 as tuition fee.
The VC’s statement also claimed, “All schools and centres have announced their time-tables and are working on conducting tests for those students who did not complete the last semester academic requirements. The university has been doing everything possible to help the students continue their academic activities. A great number of faculty members are actively working to make sure that the academic interests of the students are addressed.”
JNUSU had called for a boycott of both classes and the winter semester registration process when the university refused to accede to the demand for the hostel fee hike rollback. The protests have been going on since October 28, when the Inter-Hall Administration meeting was disrupted because JNUSU representatives hadn’t been invited. The amended IHA manual was, nevertheless, passed, prompting immediate protests by the students.
JNUSU asserted that the university administration was doling out misleading numbers. Contrary to the administration’s claims about the number of registrations, the students’ union maintained that only 40-45% students had registered. Satish Chandra, JNUSU general secretary, said, “The administration is giving incorrect data. They are counting those who have cleared their mess dues, claiming them as registrations. In fact, many students are yet to register and the boycott of the registration process will continue."