Kashmir students barred from exams in Indian college
Kashmir students who are enrolled at a college in India’s Haryana under the prime minister’s scholarship scheme are not being allowed to sit in the examination.
A group of students pursuing, a bachelor degree in hotel management, at the Rawal Institution in Faridabad under the controversial scheme say the college refused to allow them sit in the exams as the fees which is covered by the scholarship was not paid.
“We have being paying the fees ourselves as the money has been not released from past year and we are now into fifth semester,” a student says.
The students say many of their classmates and students from other courses left the college as the money wasn’t paid by the ministry of human resource development. “Hotel management students and many others left the course due to non affordability of expenses,” Marouf Ahmad, another student, told over phone.
39 students from Kashmir had enrolled in the college and 21 have left. “The college authorities say at no cost they will allow them to sit exams unless they pay their fees,” a group of students say.
“We are not in any condition to afford such fees. It is certain that our career is domed unless something miraculous happens,” they add.
Their next paper is on December 19 and they haven’t been given roll number slip yet.
Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme was announced for Kashmir students as a part of New Delhi’s efforts to bring down the tension in the conflict zone after massive civil protests in 2010. But hundreds of Kashmir students are groping in the dark as funds are yet to reach them.
Liyakat Ahmed, a hotel management student, at the college, is embarrassed to return home after his college authorities asked him to leave the course in the fifth semester over non-payment of fees for which he was granted scholarship.
“Out of a total of 38 students who were admitted to the college, only 16 have continued their collage to 5th semester,” said Ahmed, who hails from Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.
He had taken admission at college in 2012 under the AICTE scheme.
“We cannot pay the fees, we are clueless as to what to do… our career and life is at stake,” he says.
“Till first year everything was going smoothly and students were happy but in third semester college authorities asked us to leave the college and they did not issue roll number slips,” a group of students from the college say.
But after meeting the officials of Non-Governmental Organization in Srinagar which had enrolled the students and some pro Indian political activists, the students say they were allowed to attend college, but were denied the hostel facilities.
We had to rent out rooms outside the college after the third semester. “The college has not received the scholarship money from the concerned department. Now, they are not letting me complete the course or even sit for the examination,” Ahmad says.
As per the students, per semester fee is 35 thousands rupees and hostel fee is 85 thousand annually.
Sources said that several NGOs engaged in the scholarship programme have impaneled institutes which are not up to the mark and this is coming in the way of proper execution of the scholarship. The Indian government had routed the scheme, which has so far faced several complaints, through the NGOs.
Students and their parents accused local NGOs of playing foul and demand state authorities to intervene in the matter.
Despite repeated efforts neither AICTE officials nor anyone from the college administration was available for comment.
