Lalitpur, September 19:

Demanding reduction in tuition fees, MSc (second year) students of the Patan Multiple Campus

have locked five teachers, including the campus chief on the campus premises. They have locked the main gate of the campus. Ongoing negotiations between teachers and students had failed to sort out the matter till 9 pm.

The campus has fixed Rs 31,000 as annual tuition fees for MSc second year though it charged

Rs 35,000 in the first year. The campus administration had reduced the fees following stiff pressure from students.

The agitating students are demanding that the tuition fees be reduced to Rs 5,000.

Students locked campus chief Krishna Badan Nakarmi, associate campus chief Paras Mani Acharya, Kishori Yadav, coordinator for the MSc Physics programme Prakash Man Shrestha, chair, MSc Physics programme and Hom Nath Poudel, senior teacher for the programme.

Bachhu Ram Lamichhane, an agitating student, said, “The college has not resumed classes for MSc (second year) programme saying that students have not paid admission fees.”

Patan Campus is a government college, but it has been collecting a hefty sum from students as fees, he said, adding that students were not ready to pay the astronomical sum. He said they had kept the teachers in confinement to pressurise them to reduce tuition fees and resume the stalled academic session.

However, campus chief Nakarmi said the MSc programme was an autonomous programme. She claimed that it was necessary to collect Rs 31,000 from each student to give continuity to the programme. MSc (Physics) is an expensive programme and teachers demand hefty salaries, she said, adding that they were trying to hold talks with the students and sort out the matter.

Coordinator of the programme Kishori Yadav said he had been starving since mid-day. He termed the fees reasonable.

We have been unable to conduct classes because teachers have been demanding payment of 10 months’ salary at once, Yadav said. The campus administration cannot meet this demand because students have not paid admission fees, he added.