What's is in a name? The difference between fear of stigma and the possibility of a bright future.
Up until 2018, a scheme meant for children of people with leprosy saw few takers for a scholarship meant for them because they feared they would be isolated if people found out about it.
“Keeping this in mind we changed the name for this year’s applications. It was surprising to see the increase in the number of applications,” said Dr Anirudh Sravan, Commissioner, DCE.
Until last year, the scholarship was called 'Scholarship for HIV/AIDS or leprosy-affected parents’. But when the Department of Collegiate Education changed its name, the number of applications shot up to 104 from just 20 applicants across the state in the five years up to 2018.
The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) was instrumental in getting the name changed. They wrote about the fear of stigma to the department last year, after which a Government Order was issued. The DCE then issued a circular on the change of name.
“There might be an issue with awareness of the scheme itself. But along with that is the fear of getting isolated by friends or fear of being looked down upon by staff if students declare that their parents have leprosy,” an official at DCE said.
Of the 104 applications the DCE has received, 50 students are eligible for the scholarships. The rest were rejected either because they have not cleared previous years exams or have even applied under other quotas (such as SC/ST) for scholarships.
Students whose parents have either HIV/AIDS or leprosy or are themselves affected by these diseases are eligible to get free education as well as a stipend. This includes a monthly education allowance and money for books and clothes. The amount per student is Rs 21,940 for government colleges and Rs 22,880 for private colleges.
Students who are studying in any of the 416 first-grade degree colleges in Karnataka are eligible for this scholarship.
However, to ensure that students do not face any stigma, officials will maintain complete secrecy to ensure that beneficiaries have the right to privacy.
