All India Democratic Student's Organisation (AIDSO) has warned of taking out a march to the state capital, Bengaluru, and protesting at Freedom Park if the state government fails to release pending scholarships of the past three years.
AIDSO stated that for the past three years, students in the state have not received their scholarships properly. Degree, postgraduate (PG), engineering, and medical students under the Department of Backward Classes and Minority have not received their scholarships. In several parts of the state, some SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) students have also been deprived of scholarships, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
"On one hand, the cost of education, especially higher education, is rising significantly day by day, while on the other hand, the gradual reduction of scholarships is pushing a large number of students away from higher education. This situation particularly shatters the dreams of pursuing education for those who come from poor families, including the children of farmers and labourers who greatly rely upon scholarships. AIDSO strongly condemns this action by the government," the release said.
An instance to state the severity of this issue: Over 80,000 students studying in private engineering and medical colleges have not received scholarships.
More than 7,000 MBA, MCA, and MTech students have not received scholarships even as the academic year is coming to an end, which also led to many protests at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Even after meeting the Minister of the Backward Classes and Minority Department, Shivaraj Tangadagi, last August regarding the non-disbursement of scholarships for medical students over the past two years, no positive outcome was achieved. Students across the state are protesting under the leadership of AIDSO.
On March 6, students from across the state will once again march to the state capital, Bengaluru, and protest at Freedom Park under the leadership of AIDSO to demand their right to scholarship.
According to the available information, the government claims a shortage of funds to provide scholarships at the moment. Universities state that they have not received funds from the government. Overall, the lack of concern for the future of the student community in the state, regarding the provision of scholarship is evident here, students say, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The AIDSO Karnataka State Committee urged the state government to prioritise allocating funds for education in the budget and ensure scholarships for students of all categories and communities.
