Itanagar: Students protest, demand Re-consideration of scholarship forms
Itanagar
“We are innocent and we were betrayed, please reconsider our scholarship forms” were the slogan of students present in hundreds at a Dharna organised by the deprived students of pre and post metric scholarship 2017-18 here at Tennis Court, Itanagar on Tuesday.
Speaking to media, leader of the deprived students Toko Takar told that, due to our mistake and no proper guidance by education department today we are facing problems on availing the scholarship.
He said we have no point to blame state government or the SJETA department but we want our scholarship form to be reconsidered. As the new academic session of various colleges has stared, most of the students don’t have sufficient money for the admission and to other academic requirements, he said.
Above 1945 students has applied through MS Yarkum enterprise, according to the forms submitted. There are many students from various districts as well as from students who are studying outside the state.
“We had to opt for MS Yarkum enterprise to fill the forms because many times in the previous year we made mistake in filling up the forms and the fear of being rejected. Even when the submission process went offline we talked with Hillang Nima where he assured to submit the forms, Takar added.” But the 90 % of the forms are not in selected or the rejected list.
The SJETA department had earlier extended the submission of the Form-A for scholarship to August 10. But the name of this students is nor in the selected or the rejected list.
“We appeal the state government and concerned minister to accept the request of the deprived students, he said.”
Meanwhile Consumer Rights Organization- Arunachal Pradesh (CRO-AP) state unit president Achu Bagang told that, we have requested the concern department to at least provide some amount to those deprived. “Poor and financially unsound students are much depend on the government provided stipends for admission and other academic requirements, Bagang added.”
Bagang said that we have submitted a letter to the commissioner of SJETA on the issue and the response was positive. We also met with the director of SJETA Yumlam Kaha today where he assured to look into the matter.
CRO-AP has asked the director to provide scholarship only to those who has applied from the M/S Yarkum Enterprise and not to entertain other who has been rejected earlier. Responding to our demand the director has accepted to look into the matter and come up with findings by July 6, Bagang said.
Director Yumlam Kaha while said the lapsed money after disbursement is in the state exchequer so far. Through the department I will write to the higher authority to at least consider the demand to provide scholarship to those students who applied from M/S Yarkum Enterprise, he said.
Speaking on making offline mode of submission of forms, Kaha told that there were technical problems in the state portal for the disbursement. The ministry of Tribal Affairs in their letter has clearly mentioned if the state does not have no portal then they can use manual method, Kaha added.
