A lot of parents who depend on government scholarships to see their children pursue their studies may be in for a hopeless wait,because the AMC school board has denied payment to thousands of students who have not been able to open a bank account yet. Although the students or their parents are not at fault for not having a bank account,the children may be forced to drop out from schools for lack of money. A school principal said the Board issued a circular (No 42) on August 5,preventing cash payments to students from their scholarship money that ranged from Rs 150 to Rs 350. This multiplies their hardship and children may even drop out of their schools for lack of money to continue their education, he said. School Board Administrative Office L D Desai said that out of 1.60 lakh students in the municipal schools,1.25 lakh students already have bank accounts,while another 10,000 accounts are in the process of being opened. At least 25,000 accounts are yet to be opened. It may take some time due to processing delays; the number of accounts to be opened increases every year with new enrolments, he said. Asked about what happens to students who have been denied scholarship because they do not have a bank account,Desai stated that the officials are merely following instructions issued by him through the circular. I have issued a circular to schools not to make any cash payment of scholarship money to students until they have a bank account opened, he said. He also promised to look into queries as to why students should suffer procedural delays caused by the school board or banks. When reminded of the backward social status of the students in municipal schools,he said that whatever would be the situation,they would have to wait. We are in talks with the bank management to expedite things, he added. Acknowledging the issue,Board chairman Jagdish Bhavsar said he had also come across such complaints from some schools during his recent visits there. We are going to approach the bank concerned next week. The bank has conveyed its disinterest in opening any more no-frill accounts because its target of financial inclusion has been completed, Bhavsar said.
