By Mehboob Inamdar
Aurangabad, Aug 22:
Hundreds of children of Covid victims who are pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the non-aided colleges within the jurisdiction of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (Bamu) are facing a threat of losing admissions next year on not getting a fees waiver.
It may be noted that thousands of children lost their single or both parents because of Covid outbreak in 2020 and 2021. Then Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant in June 2021 announced that those students who have lost one or both parents due to Covid would fees wavier until they complete their undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
However, the hundreds of students pursuing UG and PG courses in Engineering, Pharmacy, Management, Arts, Science, Commerce, and Law in non-aided colleges within the jurisdiction of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University fear a threat of losing admissions if fees are not paid.
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Colleges ignore Bamu’s orders
The university administration issued a circular to all the colleges one year ago asking departments and affiliated colleges to waive fees of students who have lost their single or both parents in Covid as per the Government letter dated June 30, 2021.
College principals said that if the fees are waived who will reimburse the amount?
The colleges are asking the students to bring Government Resolution for fees waiver, otherwise, they would not be able to get admission next year.
“The Government should issue GR stating as to who will pay the fees of Covid victims' children,” they said.
When contacted, vice chancellor Dr Pramod Yeole said that the university can request the colleges to waive fees of such students as per the Government instruction.
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Students feel helpless
A group of five students from a non-aided private pharmacy college in the city met the university officers requesting them to order colleges to waive fees. One of the students told this newspaper that he feel helpless as they lost his father and was unable to pay fees now. The other students too fear the threat of losing admissions next year if the fees of the current year are not paid.
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Bamu already gave waiver to campus students
VC Dr Pramod Yeole said that the students doing courses in the different departments of the city campus and Osmanabad sub-centre were given fees waiver considering their financial condition.
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Students can avail Swanath scholarship
The officers from Higher and Technical Education Department said that the wards of Covid victims can avail themselves of the Swanath scholarship. The scholarship scheme is being implemented by the All Indian Council for Technical Education to support orphans, wards of parents who died due to Covid-19, wards of Armed Forces and Central Paramilitary Forces martyred in action (Shaheed) to pursue education.