Mumbai University (MU) on Friday decided to implement 1% reservation for orphan students willing to pursue higher education from this academic year. While orphan students have welcomed the move, they have demanded a fee waiver as well.
On April 2, 2018, the Maharashtra government had issued a government resolution (GR) enabling 1% quota for orphan students in education and employment sectors. Activists said they had approached the MU for implementing the reservation last year, but it could not do so as the academic year had commenced.
However, following the Higher Secondary Certificate results on May 28, the MU had issued an admissions-related circular that failed to mention the reservation for this year too. Activists from Prahar Student Organisation had threatened to protest outside the vice chancellor’s office if the reservation was not implemented in two days.
In a circular issued by the university on Friday, principals and directors of government-aided and unaided colleges, and various departments of the MU, were asked to take cognisance of the circular issued by the State government in April last year.
“Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, orphans leaving care homes and trusts do not have a caste certificate and have to be devoid of administrative benefits. So to avoid that, such orphan students are being given 1% reservation from the open category,” the notice read.
Advocate Manoj Tekade, State president, Prahaar Student Organisation, said, “Reservation is important for the orphans as they are raised in private or government trusts till they attain 18 years. After that they have to compete with the open category candidates. They score less because of the struggle they have to go through. This reservation will enable them to study further and get a good job to sustain in a city as expensive as Mumbai.”
The orphan students have urged the government to ensure a fee waiver. Abhay Teli, who is planning to apply for law in MU, said, “Till Class XII, our education is free, but the struggle starts after that as the fees are higher in some institutes. We have to pay similar fee as the open category students and most of us cannot afford it immediately. After leaving our trusts, we don’t even have ₹700. The government must ensure free education for orphans till they finish their degrees or diplomas. Without that while some are dissuaded from studying, some choose wrong paths.”