Considering the financial hardship faced by parents and students in particular due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Manipur University has ordered reduction of examination fees and to refund certain fee components to the students. To this regards MU registrar, W Chandbabu issued an order on Saturday.
“The vice chancellor/administrator, Manipur University has approved the refund of certain fee components and reduction of examination fee for the January to June 2020 semesters as a one-time relief measure to the financial hardship faced by the students of Manipur University on account of COVID-19 pandemic,” the order said.
According to the order, examination fees will be reduced by 30 per cent for all the departments. Besides, 50 per cent of lab fees will be refunded to fourth semester students as no lab could be conducted and no expenditure was incurred for the fourth semester students.
From the amount collected for field trip at the time of admission, 50 per cent will be refunded for departments which have not drawn the money in advance, it said.
For the Manipur Institute of Management Studies (MIMS), including PG Diploma in Business and Foreign Trade (PGDBF), 50 per cent of the fees collected for study materials will be refunded as most of the materials were distributed electronically and classes were conducted online.
While, 75 per cent of the fees collected for industrial visit will be refunded as the visits were not possible because of the pandemic, it said.
Meanwhile, for PGDBF, 100 per cent of exam centre and viva voce fees have been waived off.
Manipur University Students’ Union (MUSU) president Moirangthem Boby told that MUSU had urged for 50 per cent reduction of examination fees. However, after calculating the expenditure the authority decided on 30 percent reduction, he said.
Boby maintained that the students were allowed form fill ups for the recently conducted exams without payment as many suffer from financial hardship amid the pandemic.
Those who have already paid in full will be refunded as per the arrangement while those who have not paid yet have also been allowed to paid a little later, he added.
