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UPRTOU to offer free education to Covid orphans, widows
UP’s lone State Open University—Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) has decided to offer free education to Covid-19 orphans and widows of the state
UP’s lone State Open University—Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) has decided to offer free education to Covid-19 orphans and widows of the state.
Following an in-principle decision, a proposal in this regard has already been finalised and will soon be put before the appropriate sanctioning bodies of the university, university officials said.
The move comes close on the heels of some prominent schools and colleges of Prayagraj also deciding to help students who have lost the main earning members of their family or both parents to Covid-19 pandemic.
UPRTOU officials said that the university’s move will benefit any student who has lost their parents or for that matter any woman who has lost her husband to the Coronavirus, and who wishes to pursue any course from the university. They will be able to do so free of cost.
“We have decided that the university will impart free education to anyone who has lost the earning member of the family because of Coronavirus. Likewise, any woman who has lost her husband or a student who has become an orphan because of the pandemic, will also be able to pursue any course of his/ her choice without any fee,” said UPRTOU vice-chancellor Seema Singh.
She further said that the university is equally sensitive towards the students presently enrolled and will also come up with a decision if the student has faced similar unfortunate circumstances.
“The student could be facing a problem of how to manage the fee for next semester or year. We will help such students too,” said Singh.
The V-C further said that soon a proposal in this regard will be put before the academic council and then the executive council of the Open University and then be implemented.
“Once this is approved by the two decision-making bodies of the university, anyone who falls in the category and wants to pursue any academic course from the university, will be able to take admission free of cost,” said the V-C.
The university runs 105 courses with the help of 1,200 study centres and 12 regional centres spread across the state.
The V-C also informed that teachers and employees of the university will also be encouraged to voluntarily give a day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help fight Coronavirus.
It has also been decided that a health centre will soon be opened on the UPRTOU campus at Phaphamau for the benefit of the university’s teachers, staff and students. An experienced doctor will soon be appointed for this.
PHOTO CAPTION: UPRTOU campus in Phaphamau, Prayagraj (HT Photo)
