Jamshedpur Women’s College announces semester exam fee waiver for poor students

Jamshedpur: The Jamshedpur Women’s College (JWC) has decided to waive off fees for poor students for the semester examinations scheduled in July.
JWC principal Shukla Mahanty said, “We have decided to waive off fees for students who could not genuinely afford them. An undergraduate student first approached me requesting to forgo her semester examination fee as the earnings of her father, who is an auto-rickshaw driver, was nil during the lockdown. Her family survived on relief food packets provided by the government.”
Similarly, another student furnished documentary evidence of the poor monthly earnings of her father, who is a life insurance agent, and requested for a waiver, she said.
Mahanty said, “To ensure that only genuine students get the waiver, we have asked them to produce documentary evidence to substantiate their claims. So far, 12 such students have applied and the college has extended the deadline for applications till June 12.”
Anticipating that more students will be applying for the benefit, the principal said semester examination fees vary from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, depending on the stream and the course year of a student.
A 21-year-old final-year student of arts stream appreciated the college’s move and said she was unable to give the examination fee due to her family’s financial constraints, though she had deposited the semester admission fee on time. Another commerce post-graduate student, Ashwani Kumari, said several students would benefit from the waiver as quite a number of them belonged to families whose sole breadwinners are contractual workers or daily wagers.
Kolhan University senate member Amitabh Senapati said, “Other colleges should take a cue from JWC to help poor students.” JWC is the lone autonomous college of the Kolhan varsity and has over 9,000 girls on its rolls from different parts of East Singhbhhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.