GUWAHATI: The Fee Waiver Scheme under Pragyan Bharati of Higher Education, a flagship initiative of the Assam Government, has garnered significant success in its mission to provide accessible education to underprivileged students but 100 per cent success remains a far cry.
76.4 per cent of undergraduate (UG) course students, totalling 1.16 lakh students, have already availed free admissions under the scheme. But fees have still not been waived for a substantial 35,800 students, almost a quarter of the total number of students. It must be noted that the enrollment count from colleges under Assam University in Silchar is still pending.
The scheme extends its benefits to Higher Secondary as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in arts, science and commerce. However, it excludes students enrolling in self-financing courses.
Eligibility criteria dictate that only students from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families with a parental annual income of less than ₹2 lakh can avail the fee waiver. Furthermore, the scheme excludes wards of Central and State Government employees. To qualify for a subsequent fee waiver, students must have a regular attendance of 75 per cent and no backlogs in the previous semester.
Reimbursement claims can be processed through the Samarth e-Governance portal.
