Scholarship not released, SC students allege harassment

Parvesh Sharma
Tribune News Service
Sangrur, December 15

Various colleges in the state have reportedly told SC students that they will not release their certificates after the completion of their degrees if they do not deposit their mandatory annual fee immediately.

Students claimed that the delay in the release of post-matric scholarships had created the problem as they belonged to poor families. They alleged that colleges had been harassing them under various pretext to deposit their annual fee. 

They claimed that they had given written undertakings to college managements that they would shift the amount to college bank accounts after getting it from the government, but the authorities were unwilling to listen to them.

“The college authorities had announced that they would not allow us to appear in the exams of BEd 3rd semester, which started today. But after the intervention of DC Ghanshayam Thori, they allowed all 53 students to sit in the exams, but threatened that they will not release our certificates without getting money,” said a girl student from a Sangrur college.

However, Monty Garg, Malwa co-coordinator of the Punjab Unaided Colleges Association, said: “Despite facing financial problems due to non-release of scholarships, unaided colleges have not expelled even a single student”. 

“The state government should direct colleges not to harass poor SC students. If the government has not released the scholarship amount, it’s not their fault and the college authorities should take up the matter with the government rather than harassing students. We will start a protest if their harassment is not stopped immediately,” said Dr Makhan Singh, state general secretary, BSP.

However, Social Justice, Empowerment and Minority Affairs Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot could not be contacted as he was busy in a meeting.