State plans to fully reimburse tuition, exam fee of girl students from OBC, EWS categories

According to information provided by the office of higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil, the facility can be availed by female students pursuing professional courses such as engineering, architecture, pharmacy, medical and agriculture. As a result, the decision is expected to benefit around 2,05,499 girls. The state will bear the expenditure of Rs.2000 crore every year.

The decision however has not moved beneficiaries, who complain that many are already struggling with delayed reimbursements in similar existing schemes.

There is already a 50 per cent fee-reimbursement for girls from OBC and EWS as opposed to 100 percent fee-reimbursement for girls from SC and ST category. “But these reimbursements are never on time. Students have to pay the entire fee at the time of admission and then continue to wait for the reimbursement until the course ends, forcing many to drop out due to financial constraints,” said Kuldeep Ambekar from Students’ Helping Hand, an organisation helping students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Giving examples of delayed reimbursements, Ambekar said, “Shahu Maharaj academic fee reimbursement for all students having annual family income less than Rs 8 lakh and Panjabrao Deshmukh scheme, as part of which hostel residents are given allowance, both are pending for the past two years. Many students have approached us with complaints. The newly announced scheme will not be effective unless delayed reimbursements are resolved.”

Highlighting another point of contention, a student who is a beneficiary said, “The income condition is to establish that we are unable to bear the expenses for the course. Yet, we are expected to pay the full fee because the government will reimburse it later. Many are not able to arrange the funds. It will be more helpful if the government waives off the fee and bears the expense or pays the fee at the time of admission and not as reimbursement.”