Pune: State Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Wednesday said strict action will be taken against colleges that do not implement the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Education Fees Scholarship Scheme.
The scholarship scheme states that only 50 per cent of the fees should be taken from students belonging to the Maratha community, whose family’s annual income is between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh and the rest will be reimbursed to the colleges by the government.
“We have received complaints that some colleges are taking 100 per cent fees from these students, despite they being the beneficiaries of the scheme. According to the rules, we will take immediate action against the erring institutions. Also, we have appointed region-wise nodal officers to look after the proper implementation of Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Education Fees Scholarship Scheme,” Tawde said.
He said it is illegal to take full fees from eligible students. He said, “The colleges and educational institutions have already been instructed that such students should be charged only 50 per cent of the fees. If any student is forced to pay full fees, he/she should register a complaint against the said college with the nodal officer.”
Tawde added that while the Congress-NCP government made only false promises, it was the BJP government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that actually gave reservations to the Maratha community. It also introduced schemes like scholarship scheme, hostel scheme, etc.
Speaking about the possible reason for lack of implementation that may exist on part of the colleges, RTE and AAP activist Mukund Kirdat said, “As it was in case of the reimbursements against the admissions under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, the colleges will not agreeably comply with the scholarship scheme, if they don’t need the funds in time. On the RTE issue, the schools had to go to the High Court and pressurise the government into giving the reimbursement. If the government doesn’t play its part efficiently, any
such schemes will never work.”
