Colleges back needy students every way

CHANDIGARH: When it comes to promoting education, many city colleges are out to make sure that a deserving candidate does not lag behind due to financial constraints.
A case in point is Dev Samaj College Sector-45, which provides free education to 10 students hailing from poor financial backgrounds every year. The hostel fee of the college comes to Rs 40,000 per year so they provide this waiver only to day scholars.However, they do make exceptions. As principal Meera Modi said, ���We verify the background of students before giving them freeships, making sure that only the needy are benefited. The college gets hundreds of applications claiming the facility.���
Earlier, the college had this facility only for five students, but after continuous requests of needy students, they increased the number to 10. ���We would further increase the number to 15-20 in the coming years,��� Modi added.
MCM DAV College is keen on promoting girl child education. Following university guidelines, the college provides free education to one single girl child every year. Principal Puneet Bedi said, ���When more than one student claims the facility, we shortlist one of them on merit. For financially weak but meritorious students, the college provides freeships, which include the college fee besides scholarships. Last year, three students were benefited under this programme. The college also provides books free of cost to deserving students.���
The college also feels the need to promote girl child education among those from north-eastern India. ���Last year, we gave total waiver which included even that for the hostel fee to four students hailing from Manipur. Promoting women���s education in these places should be high on the agenda of every college as they are underdeveloped areas,��� Bedi opined.
Apart from this, many colleges offer students hailing from poor families who are waiver-holders help with part-time jobs to meet their daily needs, the college claimed. ���A couple of years ago, we had four students who were given the job of running the college cybercafe or sitting in the library when they didn���t have their classes,��� said commerce lecturer and hostel warden of SD College Ajay Sharma.
At the same time, government colleges are not far behind with them adhering to norms laid down by education department to promote students from poor families. KS Saluja, principal of Government College-46, claimed that in the college, the teachers contribute to a fund which is later utilized by needy students.
���Besides this, we strictly follow guidelines of the administration while providing concessions to students,��� Saluja said.