Members of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) demanding a government college for Madurai city observed a 24-hour sit-in protest outside Madurai Kamaraj University College here starting from Tuesday. 

S. Dilan Justin, SFI urban district president, said Madurai was one of the important districts next to Chennai and Coimbatore.  

But, other than the private colleges and one government women’s college, there were no government arts colleges for boys in the city limit.

“If students from rural areas and underprivileged background are to study in an arts college, they have to pay close to ₹30,000 per year. While many families struggle to pay the fees demanded by colleges, a few students straightaway discontinue their studies owing to their inability to pay the fees,” he added. 

However, many students in an aspiration to complete their higher education do part-time jobs in their free time to manage the fee and other expenses, he stated.  

“Some private college charge less fee, but they cannot cover the entire student population in the district,” Mr. Justin stated.  

MKU college, too, which boasts of offering an affordable education, keeps on increasing the fee every year, he alleged.  

He said that the college administration had increased about 10% from the fee that was collected a few years ago.  

The college claimed that they had to improve the infrastructure and facilities, but the sorry condition of the college still persisted, he added. 

The same demand was raised several times ago, but, as the State government seemef not to listen to them, they had decided the protest to emphasise their demand, Mr. Justin said.  

The protesters were later dispersed in the night by the police.