GILGIT: A large number of students at Karakoram International University (KIU) boycotted classes and staged a sit-in outside the main gate in protest against what they described as an “unjustified increase” in their fees by the university management.
The protesters closed all the entrance gates of the university, halting academic activities. They chanted slogans against the administration, calling the decision highly unfair and demanding its immediate withdrawal. Student leader Mir Babar stated that they had been protesting for their rights for the past two weeks, but the university administration had not been addressing their genuine concerns.
Mir Babar mentioned that students had no objection to a 10 per cent annual fee increase, “as per rules,” but he claimed that the administration had raised the fee by up to 115 per cent since 2019, which, according to him, should have been limited to 50 per cent, accounting for a 10 per cent increase each year. He added that after a weeks-long protest last year, the KIU administration had signed an agreement promising a 15 per cent reduction in fees, assuring students that this reduction would continue gradually to comply with the rules. However, this year, fees have suddenly increased by around 10 to 25 per cent leading to their protest.
In a conversation with HUM News English, KIU Public Relations Director Amjad Ali said that the students were not protesting against the fee hike, as the increase was in line with the rules, limited to 10 per cent. Instead, he explained that the students were protesting for the reinstatement of those expelled after the protests and for allegedly bringing outside elements to join the protests.
According to a notification issued by the university, 11 students “identified as leaders of these illegal protests” have been expelled for “unlawful activities, which created a law-and-order situation on the main campus of KIU and ultimately led to the cancellation of VVIP movements to the university.” The notification stated that their access to the campus was prohibited, and their LMS accounts had been suspended.
Amjad Ali alleged that the expelled students had chanted “vulgar slogans” and were caught “red-handed” by the disciplinary committee. “The university rules are clear. If you don’t follow the rules, you will face expulsion,” he added.
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He mentioned that a meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the issue. According to Amjad Ali, the Advisor to the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arif Hussain, briefed the meeting on the students’ main demands after discussions with the protestors. Dr. Arif highlighted three key demands from the students: a reversal of the fee hike, reinstatement of expelled students, and an extension of time for preparing for monthly tests that had been affected by the protests.
Amjad Ali stated that while the meeting agreed to two of the students’ demands, the fee hike would not be reversed under any circumstances. He added that the expelled students would be asked to file an appeal before the disciplinary committee, which would hear their cases and reinstate them according to the rules. “These are our children; we don’t want to jeopardize their future. That’s why the meeting also agreed to give students additional time for preparing for monthly tests,” he said.
When asked about allegations that the fee hike varied from department to department, with a 10% increase in departments where students are vocal and up to 25 per cent in departments where students are less vocal, Amjad Ali dismissed these claims, stating that the fee increase was uniformly applied across the board at 10 per cent.
Addressing concerns about the 115 per cent fee hike over the past five years, he explained that the university needed to raise fees as the federal government had increased the salaries of government employees. “We have about 750 employees, and their salaries amount to Rs 84 million,” he added.
He further explained that the G-B government and HEC had opened three KIU sub-campuses in Hunza, Diamer, and Ghizer as pilot projects. Initially, HEC covered 40-45% of the expenses for these campuses, but this funding was halted in recent years, placing the full financial burden on the main campus. Amjad Ali said that when the university attempted to close the campuses, the employees moved to court, forcing the university to continue bearing the expenses until a decision is reached.
When asked about research grants as an alternative means to raise income, he noted that the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC) had published over 250 research articles in high-impact journals. However, the income-sharing policy is 70:30, with 70 per cent going to researchers and 30 per cent to the university.
When asked about the university’s practice of calling in law enforcement agencies (LEAs), especially rangers carrying guns to the campus after any protest becoming the new norm, he stated that the Vice Chancellor had discouraged this approach, as it has a negative impact. Regarding the possibility of calling in rangers in the future, he said, “The future is unpredictable.”