Defending the recent 25 per cent hike in tuition fees, PC Tulsian, Principal of Ramjas College, said, "Boys and girls go to Pizza Hut and McDonalds, easily spending between Rs. 2500 to Rs. 3000 at one go, but our fees is only to be paid once for the whole year.”

He stressed that there is need to see the hike as an absolute amount rather than in percentage terms. Comparing the fees of Ramjas with that of other Delhi University colleges, Tulsian said: "In how many colleges the fees is close to Rs.31,000, in St Stephen's itself the fees is up to Rs 42000. In our college it is not even one-third of that amount even after the hike."

Recently, the Ramjas staff council decided to enhance the fees by a minimum of 25 per cent. Student organisations have been protesting, demanding a roll-back of the hike. On Monday, NSUI members submitted a memorandum to the principal. The ABVP is planning to stage a big protest against the fee hike in coming days.
Tulsian said the fee hike is necessary to meet the costs incurred in maintenance of the new building, buying furniture, air-conditioning, maintaining laboratories, paying salary of contractual employees, etc. He said that even the recent hike is not sufficient to meet the entire expenses. Tulsian said the University Grants Commission (UGC) cannot fund each and everything and colleges/universities charging fees is a legacy of the past. "If UGC will provide each and everything then going by that the fees should be made zero. If UGC provides every single penny then what is the need for the university to have fees," he said. "Fees to Angrezo ke jamane se chali aa rahi hai," he added.

He said the controversy over the fee hike has been created by those who want to make an issue out of everything. "Only three teachers dissented in the staff council meeting. However, one among them issued a statement that the fee should be increased by 25 per cent of the amount," Tulsian said.

Ramjas College will soon have a 100 foot high national flag in its campus, the principal said. He said the total cost would be close to Rs 10 lakh. The college will also have 2 food huts and an Amul outlet. "At subsidised rates in the canteen we cannot serve pizzas and burgers. As students from a well-off background and those who are poor also want to eat fast food sometimes, we will have 2 food huts," said Tulsian.