AMU probes non-payment of fees by students after it switched from manual to online | Education News

“We found it out when students under the self-finance category said that they could spot dues against their names when they sought to collect their documents after completing their course. That is when we realised that they had not paid their fees,” an AMU official said, adding that a clear picture of the number of students who did not pay fees is yet to emerge.

“In the case of some students, they have collected their degrees. The committee is looking into these instances and determining the number of students who have left the institute without paying fees,” the official said.

The four-member committee, comprising the university’s registrar, the Controller of Examination and Admission, a nominee of the Vice-Chancellor, and the Finance Officer of the university, was expected to submit its report within 30 days. The report, university sources said, is yet to be submitted.

Meanwhile, the university also set up a fee management cell in September. A professor at the university was appointed as an adviser to the cell, and tasked with providing advice on the “design and implementation of efficient, automated, and technology-driven fee collection and dues clearance process, including the integration of digital payment platforms.”

The adviser was expected to oversee the development of procedures to “enhance transparency, minimise errors, and ensure timely processing of fee-related transactions”.

“We wish to clarify that the matter relates to a mismatch arising during the transition from the offline fee-processing system to the online mode introduced during the Covid period,” the AMU’s public relations office said, adding, “the university has already constituted a Central Fee Management Cell to reconcile the said fee.”