DU colleges reaching out to students in need

It took the suicide of a student for the colleges of Delhi University to get their acts together and started mechanisms in their respective colleges to reach out to students from the economically poor backgrounds in these challenging times.

Rajdhani College is offering a flat waiver of Rs 2010 in the college fees for all the students in the coming academic session from December 6. The college is using the unutilised funds from last year to help students in need.
The ‘Yuva Samiti’ of the college has been arranging to send subject-related written material and teacher’s notes to outstation students. “On November 25, we have couriered 300 packets of study material to students staying in remote areas, who do not have access to learning material,” says Rajesh Giri, principal, Rajdhani College.

The college is also helping students with mobile recharge. “Many faculty members of the college have pooled in money to buy mobiles to help students who cannot afford a handset,” says Giri.

The college will also be depositing money in the accounts of economically poor students from the Student Aid Fund.

Janki Devi Memorial College (JDMC) has received around 70 applications for financial help this year, which is double the number since last year. The college too has used funds from last year’s unutilised expenditure to assist students economically.

JDMC has also formalised a Fee Assisting Committee to assist students in paying their fees. “JDMC has a proactive policy of financially assisting the economically disempowered students of the college. For more than a decade now, there are a group of teachers, who have put their funds together to assist 25-30 students every year in facing their fees,” says Swati Pal, principal, JDMC. The Fee Assistance Committee, says Pal, receives funds from personal contributions of faculty members, retired faculty members and the alumni.

The college is also offering fee waivers of up to 90% to the needy students, while a total fee waiver is offered to a few special cases. There are around 50 students in Aryabhatta College who require financial support, and the college is helping as per their need.

“Some students do not ask for concessions, but have requested to pay the college fees in instalments, which we are doing,” says Manoj Sinha, principal, Aryabhatta College.

With not enough alumni support (since the college is fairly new as compared to other colleges), Aryabhatta College is supporting the needy students in its own ways. “We have identified all the government-funded schemes and scholarships and linked it with the college. We are helping financially weak students to apply for these schemes,” says Manoj Sinha, principal, Aryabhatta College. Most of the college students, says Sinha, have been covered under some or the other schemes now and it is not a huge problem anymore.

Few girl students have been referred to NGOs who would bear the expenses of these students. Also, books are being issued from the Student Aid fund for a year, which were earlier issued for a month, so that students do not have the extra burden of buying books.

Daulat Ram College with help of its alumni association will fund 22 students. “College will offer partial funding to 50 students,” says Savita Roy, principal, Daulat Ram College. The college plans to give laptops to visually impaired students.

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (SPM) College has allowed students pay fee as per their convenience. “We will not stop anyone from taking the exams if they have been unable to deposit the fees,” says Sadhana Sharma, principal, SPM. “Several teachers have been extending a helping hand to EWS students for many years.”