The announcement made by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to release post-matric Scheduled Caste (SC) scholarships for the session 2015-16 by the end of October brought some cheer on faces of students. However, no further word from the department concerned has made the joy short lived. The SC students have started anticipating hard times ahead once again.
“We are being be-fooled for the past three years. During admission process, the news comes in that the SC students will study free of cost. However, with a passage of time, we get to know that the fee has to be paid,” rued a SC student of a local college.
He said, “Another news is making rounds that the government has finally decided to admit the SC students with bare minimum fee and the subsequent installments will be be paid by us to the college as and when the scholarship amount is transfered in our account by the government. What is this? How can we trust such a government which says one thing and does completely the opposite?”
Another SC student said, “If the government does not transfer scholarship amount by the end of this month, we will begin agitation. Our protest will continue till every single penny of ours which is pending in the government treasury, gets transferred into our accounts.”
“I joined undergraduate course in 2015 and hoped that the government will pay for my education since my father is a daily wager and mother is a patient. It was not possible for him to pay fee of three kids after earning Rs 300 per day. I am grateful to my institution which assisted me from student aid fund. Now, I have completed my graduation and once again took admission in post-graduate after the government assured of financial help. However, it will not be possible for me to continue with studies if scholarship is delayed further as I paid examination fee by borrowing money,” said aggrieved student.
A number of parents who had dared to think of giving higher education to their children and whose kids have been forced to give up studies midway, blame the government.
“The governments have given us nothing but false hopes to rely upon. The government should stop playing with future of thousands of students and restore their lost faith by releasing scholarship amount immediately,” they added.
[“source=tribuneindia”]
