‘Restore Free Admission’ West Silchar College Students Warn of Bigger Agitation

Hundreds of students of West Silchar College in Cachar staged a protest on Thursday (July 23) against the Directorate of Higher Education’s (DHE) revised guidelines on free admission, demanding that the earlier policy be restored. They also raised concerns over the evaluation of semester examination papers conducted under Assam University.

Holding placards and shouting slogans, the students opposed the new admission policy, alleging that it has deprived many economically weaker students of the benefit of free admission. They urged the government to immediately reinstate the earlier system and warned of intensifying their agitation if their demands are not addressed.

Speaking to the media, a student representative said the protest was centred on two main issues. He claimed that students with backlogs, who were previously eligible for free admission, are now required to pay admission fees under the revised guidelines. According to him, the college has a large number of women students from financially disadvantaged families who cannot afford the fees. He appealed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to restore the free admission scheme, stating that the college serves a rural population where many families depend on limited incomes.

The student representative also alleged that there are serious irregularities in the evaluation of semester examination answer scripts by Assam University. He claimed that many students receive marks that do not reflect their performance, with some scoring as low as zero, two or five marks despite attempting the examinations. He demanded a proper review of the evaluation process and said the students have given the university four days to respond, warning that they would stage a gherao of the university if their concerns remain unaddressed.

Another student said many students have now been asked to pay between Rs. 7,000 and Rs. 8,000 as admission fees, which she described as unaffordable for families engaged mainly in primary sector occupations. She questioned how students who had successfully passed their Class 10 and Class 12 examinations could receive extremely low marks in semester examinations and urged the Chief Minister to intervene and look into the matter.

The students demanded that the previous free admission policy be restored for all eligible students and called for a fair review of the university’s examination evaluation process. Assam University and the Directorate of Higher Education had not responded to the students’ allegations at the time of filing this report.