Editor
IN Short: HIGHLIGHTS
1. Government of Assam introduces fee waiver scheme for higher education.
2. Scheme aims to provide access to higher education for economically disadvantaged students.
3. Applicable to students seeking admission in H.S./Degree and M.A./M.Sc./M.Com courses.
4. Parental income should be below Rs. 2 lakh for eligibility.
5. Self-financing courses are not covered by the scheme.
6. Students with waived fees in previous years can also avail the scheme.
7. Scheme applicable to provincialized and government colleges, as well as specified universities in Assam.
8. Private colleges, private universities, and central universities in Assam not covered.
9. Students must have minimum 75% attendance and no back papers to qualify.
10. Income certificate from Revenue Circle Officer required for proof.
11. Students with parents working in state or central government not eligible.
12. Admission committees have authority to inquire into family income for verification.
13. Committees comprised of senior teachers.
14. Fees waived include all except magazine fees, games and sports fees, and college week fees.
15. Students must fulfill responsibilities such as planting a sapling and providing photographs for subsequent years.
16. Colleges and universities must upload the names of students availing fee waiver benefit on their websites.
17. Mark sheets of students receiving free admission will be endorsed to prevent multiple admissions.
18. Reimbursement requests for funds to be submitted within 45 days of admission.
19. Memorandum forwarded to various authorities for information and necessary action.
Guwahati: The Government of Assam's Higher Education Department has announced the continuation of the Fee Waiver scheme under Pragyan Bharti. The scheme aims to provide free admission to students in H.S./Degree and M.A./M.Sc./M.Com courses who come from families with a parental income below Rs. 2 lakh.
The primary objective of the scheme is to ensure that economically disadvantaged students in the state have access to higher education and its benefits. The scheme is applicable to students seeking admission into the first year of H.S./B.A./B.Sc./B.Com and M.A./M.Sc./M.Com courses. However, students enrolling in self-financing courses are not eligible for this scheme. In the case of H.S. and B.A./B.Sc./B.Com courses, students whose fees were waived in the previous year will also be eligible for the scheme in the second and third years. For M.A./M.Sc./M.Com courses, the scheme is applicable in the final year for those whose fees were waived earlier.
The institutes covered under this scheme include all provincialized and government colleges, Gauhati University, Dibrugarh University, Bodoland University, Cotton University, Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit & Ancient Studies University, Women's University, Bhattadev University, Rabindranath Tagore University, Madhabdev University, Majuli University of Culture, and Sati Sadhini Raijyik Viswavidyalaya. Private colleges, private universities, and central universities in Assam are not covered by this scheme.
To be eligible for the scheme, students must have a parental annual income of less than Rs. 2 lakh from all sources. Students whose parents are employed in the state government, central government, semi-government, or state or central government undertakings are not eligible. Additionally, only regular students with a minimum of 75% attendance and no back papers in previous examinations can avail of the scheme.
To ensure the genuineness of the income claims, admission committees of the respective colleges and universities have the authority to inquire into the family's income. If the committee finds that the parents' income exceeds Rs. 2 lakh, they can recommend the cancellation of admission. The committees, comprised of senior teachers, will be responsible for conducting such inquiries. The institutions' principals or registrars must exercise due diligence and ensure deserving candidates are admitted. The Director of Higher Education will conduct random checks on income certificates, and disciplinary action may be taken against students, officials, or principals found to be involved in fraudulent activities.
Under the scheme, the waiver of fees will vary depending on the category of admission and the course. For higher secondary, first-year degree courses, and M.A./M.Sc./M.Com courses, all fees except magazine fees, games and sports fees, and college week fees will be waived. This benefit extends to students who were admitted under this scheme during the 2018-19, 2020-21, and 2021-22 sessions.
Students availing the scheme must fulfill certain responsibilities. Upon admission in the first year, they are required to plant a sapling either at their college or at home and submit a photograph of the planted sapling to the college. They must take care of the sapling and provide a photograph of the same tree when seeking admission in the second year. A scrutiny committee, comprising teachers, will examine the photographs to assess their genuineness and the growth of the plant. Only upon receiving a recommendation from the committee can the student avail subsequent years' fee waiver.
Colleges and universities must upload the names of students admitted under the fee waiverbenefit on their respective websites. Additionally, colleges providing free admission under this scheme will endorse the relevant mark sheet of the student to indicate their eligibility for the fee waiver, preventing them from seeking free admission in multiple institutions. Rubber seals will be created and used by colleges and universities to mark the reverse of mark sheets of beneficiary students.
Furthermore, colleges and universities must submit a reimbursement request for funds along with the names of students availing the benefit within 45 days of admission. This will allow the Director of Higher Education to seek the release of funds from the government.
The memorandum concludes by forwarding copies to various authorities for their information and necessary action. These include the Hon'ble Chief Minister, the Hon'ble Minister of Education, the Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam (Higher Education Department), the Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Assam (Finance Department), the Director of Higher Education, the Director of Information & Public Relations Assam, and for record-keeping purposes.
The Government of Assam's fee waiver scheme for higher education aims to provide opportunities for economically disadvantaged students to pursue their studies. By alleviating the financial burden of admission and tuition fees, the government hopes to enable more students to access higher education and unlock better future prospects.