Lucknow University Students Protest Fee Hike; Hold Plates With Coins To Highlight Economic Burdens

Lucknow: Students of Lucknow University staged a protest on Monday against a recent fee hike, adopting an unusual method by holding plates with coins outside the campus to highlight their concerns.

The protest comes as students' anger grows over the sharp increase in fees for several courses, including LLB. According to the protestors, the revised fee structure was only announced last week, leaving them surprised and frustrated. Protesters are demanding that the revised fee structure be rolled back immediately.

In a video shared via PTI, the students can be seen holding placards with messages like "Lucknow Vishwavidyalaya mein fees vriddhi band karo" (Stop fee hike in Lucknow University) and "Fee Hike Nahi Chalegi" (Fee hike will not be tolerated). The video further showed someone holding a plate with coins, highlighting that many students come from humble backgrounds (children of farmers and laborers) and cannot bear the financial burden.

Speaking to PTI, Lucknow University student Shivaji Yadav said that fees for some programs have nearly doubled. “We were informed just last week that our fees have been increased, almost doubled, for courses like LLB. In response, we staged a protest and even went on an indefinite demonstration,” he said.

Yadav added that the students also met the Vice-Chancellor, who assured them that the fee hike would be reviewed and reduced. However, he claimed that no concrete steps have been taken so far.

“We appeal to the government to roll back the fee hike and restore the previous fee structure. Most students here are not from wealthy backgrounds; they come from families of farmers and laborers. There should be provisions to ensure affordable, if not free, education for them,” he said.

The students have continued their protest with an indefinite sit-in, demanding immediate action from the university administration and authorities.