KATHMANDU: Academic Students’ Council (ASC) today requested the Tribhuvan University (TU) to reconsider its decision over the hike in fee at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level. In a press statement issued here today, the council has expressed its serious concern about the decision taken by the TU to hike students’ fee. “The decision curtails the future aspirations of low-income students to pursue higher academic excellence,” the statement said, adding, “The ten-fold hike in student fee by the country’s oldest and most prominent educational institution has exhibited the weakness of the management in all its nakedness.” The TU has announced the hike in student fee arguing that it was necessary to raise its academic standard and to compete with international education providers. The Council further alleged that the TU officials’ desire to improve academic standard by raising the fee was flawed and the decision was taken in haste without considering its repercussions on the marginalised poor students. “Educational quality and fee are not correlated and the former does not improve by simply hiking fee,” it added, urging the TU to rethink over its decision taking into considerations suggestions from academician, intellectuals and other stakeholders. The Academic Students’ Council has also threatened to take to street on a nationwide scale should the TU failed to heed to students’ outcry.