Odisha exempts fees for differently-abled students to encourage higher studies

BHUBANESHWAR: To enourage differently-abled students to higher education, Odisha government has decided to exempt fees for them in government and government-aided educational institutions.

The secretary to the higher education department has written letters to all higher educational institutions to
implement the government's decision immediately, said Higher Education Minister Ananta Das.

"The differently-abled students like blind students who use Braille for studies, hearing impaired and dumb
students, orthopaedically handicapped students with disability more than 75 per cent will be exempted from tuition fees and examination and certificate fees for pursuing higher education," the minister said.

The minister also said that the differently abled students who already had paid such fees would be refunded their money.

The department has also sought a status report on exemption of fees on differently abled students by October 9, 2017.

Though the differently abled students in schhol level are exempted all kinds of fees, they were making payment in colleges and other higher educational institutions.