Shafqat joins varsity fee row.

LAHORE -- Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood has sought revision of the alleged 41 per cent fee increase by Lahore University of Management and Sciences (Lums).

The minister tweeted: 'I have seen reports that LUMS has increased its fee by 41 pc. If true, this is unacceptable. LUMS is a premier educational institution of the country and needs to take lead in giving relief to students rather than burdening them and their parents even further. Needs revision.'

He further said: 'SC has given a formula for annual 5 to 8% increase in school fees. Universities may have different compulsions and may need a somewhat greater increase but a sudden 41% increase by LUMS is beyond comprehension. Management needs to reconsider.'

The minister's tweets came despite an explanation offered recently by the Lums management. In a statement the university had denied there was a blanket 41pc increase in fees.

However, Lums Vice Chancellor Arshad Ahmad and Interim Provost Kamran Asdar Ali further clarified the fee issue in a joint statement issued on Friday. They claimed the students would not pay any more than what they had committed to pay. They said some will end up paying less in certain cases and 41pc increase was a 'misunderstanding of the new payment structure and unnecessarily feeds into social media...