MU announces free education, incentives for disabled and poor

In an effort to make education easily accessible to physically impaired and disadvantaged candidates in rural areas, University of Madras Vice-Chancellor G Thiruvasagam has announced of providing free education to physically-challenged and incentives to underprivileged.

Taking a dim view of the soaring number of rural students drop outs of higher education as they can not bear the brunt of hostel fees in the city, the varsity has decided to come up with art and science colleges in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts by exempting them from paying the affiliation fee, inspection fee and other attendant charges.      

Thiruvasagam said;
 

"All physically challenged students will be exempted from paying fees including examination fee in all courses. The modalities for assessing the minimum disability levels will be worked out in consultation with experts."
 

The Vice-Chancellor is likely to call a meeting of administrator and principal of private colleges soon. He would urge them urge them to provide free education including boarding and lodging for at least 10 students in an institutions.    

He further added;

"Existing colleges in rural areas will be offered a 50% concession in affiliation fee when they start new courses. The rural colleges can also admit 10% additional students in each course. All these steps will increase the gross enrolment ratio in colleges affiliated to the university."

Apart from that, the university will also set up a centre for basic sciences development which will be named after veteran Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar. He was the first post-Independence vice chancellor of the university who served in the capacity for 27 years.

While the varsity will introduce inter-disciplinary courses and a separate board of studies for innovative and inter-disciplinary courses, two corpus funds one with Rs. 10 lakh to help poor research scholars will also be established.