November 25, 2020.
TED NewsDesk, New Delhi: In the view of monetary issues faced by the parents and students, St. Stephen’s College of Delhi University will establish a ‘Resilience Fund’ on Tuesday. As conveyed by some employees, the college aims at helping its students to meet the needs of their tuition fees. The Resilience Fund will provide financial assistance to 50-100 students from various courses offered at St. Stephen’s College.
“The annual income of the family should not exceed Rs 5 lakh, and they need to attach a valid income certificate. Applicants should not be receiving any other scholarship or financial aid that exceeds Rs 20,000 from the college or any other agency. Any other achievement that would justify the application,” the order said.
The last day to apply for the same is November 25.
“The heads of departments may scrutinise the applications within the departments and forward genuine cases latest by November 29. All those who wish to avail fees concession must submit an application for College Bursaries,” the order added.
The decision came after a student named Aishwarya from Lady Shri Ram College for Women allegedly took her own life owing to the financial constraints amid the lockdown. Few days after the incident, St. Stephen’s Staff Association communicated with the Principal proposing the establishment of a body to look for students who are suffering due to financial crises.
Aishwarya, 19, aspired to qualify civil services examinations. However, on November 2, 2020, her parents found her hanging at their home in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana. As per the police, her suicide note mentioned the reason behind this extreme step as she wanted to lift the burden of her educational expenditure from her family’s shoulders. She was pursuing B.Sc Mathematics and was currently in 2nd year of the course.
Following the Center’s decision to implement a nationwide lockdown in March due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, the authorities of Delhi University asked the students to vacate the hostel. As a result, Aishwarya, a resident of Shadnagar, had to return to Telangana.
A few months ago, the government lifted the lockdown. However, the colleges and schools continued with the online teaching and learning process. COVID-19 pandemic has hit the entire world both physically and economically.
The COVID-19 Resilience Fund will cater to a limited audience. Therefore, many other colleges should take initiatives like these so that a large number of students can easily avail their right to education.
Source: Hindustan Times