JU funds crunch shadow over 14 evening courses

Kolkata: Evening courses run by some departments in arts, science and engineering at Jadavpur University have come under the shadow of a looming funds crunch. A committee formed by the university to look into ways to enhance the university's income and rationalise expenses suggested the 14 evening courses currently running should be revisited to study their demand.Other measures suggested by the committee include restricting unnecessary use of university vehicles, limiting cost of food and beverages during meetings and conferences, introducing more self-finance courses and rationalising student fees, acquiring more projects, renewing focus on consultancy, and tapping the alumni network for funds.
A source said, "The minimum maintenance per year is approximately Rs 50 crore, but the university received around Rs 15 crore-Rs 16 crore from the state for maintenance. There is a budget deficit of almost Rs 35 crore, and the university corpus fund is almost depleted. If we don't act now, there will be no funds for basic classroom teaching and lab maintenance in a few years."A member of the committee shared that the university spends around Rs 6 crore annually to run 14 evening courses, which are primarily managed by part-time teachers and staff. "Our intention is not to close down any evening course. But over the years, their demand has dipped. So we need to revisit these courses because the revenue generated does not justify the expenditure," the member said, adding, "Increasing student fees will be our last resort. We will discuss with students. Any increase will be minimal, with subsidies and exemptions for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds."The committee also suggested increasing parking fee for teachers and non-teaching staff from the current Rs 50.