AASA and ENSF clarify allegations from INTCWS

The All Assam Students’ Association (AASA), in a joint press conference with the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF), today explained the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they signed with each other, especially as way of clarifying contentions raised by the India Northeast Tribal Community Welfare Society (INTCWS). The AASA made available documents to exemplify their points. This MoU, they say, will facilitate the availability of government scholarships for students from “backward” backgrounds to access professional courses.

“The central government sanctions 20,000 scholarships per year through the ministries of social justice and employment, minority affairs etc. but children from affluent backgrounds land up accessing these because they secure majority of the admissions,” explained Kawsar Choudhury, Vice President of AASA. These scholarships are supposed to be made available through respective states to eligible students to pursue degrees in engineering, medical and management.

Last year, 628 students from Nagaland got these scholarships, of which, according to the AASA, 95% were from affluent backgrounds. In order to make the scholarships accessible to the more marginalized students of communities from the North East, the AASA came up with this plan in 2009. With a strong presence in Hyderabad, the AASA has made a deal with 15 colleges (accredited and scrutinized by the Government) in Andhra Pradesh to accommodate 1500 students from the North East under their ‘Management Quota’, the fees for which are now concurrent with the ‘Convenor Quota’ (meant only for students from the state). 300 of these 1500 students will hail from Nagaland, if things go according to AASA and ENSF’s plan. The scheme has been authorized by the Anti Corruption and Crime Investigation Front, Assam.

To select students eligible for the scholarships, there will be a process. Students will be selected based on at least 50% secured in examinations (10+2), an admission in a professional institute and the family’s earnings amounting to not more than Rs. 2 Lakh per annum. The ENSF will first “scrutinize” the “best deserving students” through its network of student unions, after which the AASA will confirm the students eligible for the scholarships. The scrutiny will go through parents, principal of the school the student hails from and gazetted officers.

The student can then begin her/his course without having to pay any fee (as per agreement with the institutes, the donation or capitation fee stands cancelled for these students) to the institute, which the AASA will ensure is reimbursed through the state government at the end of the academic year through available schemes. The scholarship, when secured, will be applicable for the entire duration of the student’s course provided the student scores an average of 55% per year.

If in case AASA is unable to secure these scholarships from the state after the student has been admitted and selected for the same, AASA will reimburse the fee for the students. The AASA will sign individual agreements with the students assuring this, and it has already signed a declaration for the ENSF stating that “fee reimbursement is the duty of AASA for the whole course. If in case AASA fails to reimburse, then AASA will pay the entire course fees for those 300 students for which AASA is ready to face any charges in the future.”

Currently, the plan does not support the accommodation fee for students, but AASA is trying to negotiate a deal with some banks that could facilitate loans without interest to cover the same. The students can stay at the two North East hostels (boys and girls) run by AASA in Hyderabad. If such loans cannot be made available, the AASA will arrange to pay for the accommodation of the poorest of the poor.

Forms to apply for accessing these 300 scholarships through the AASA and ENSF will be made available at key points in the four Eastern districts of Nagaland, as well as Kohima and Dimapur, with preference given to backward Naga and indigenous non-Naga students though it will remain open to all. By next year, the AASA and ENSF also plan to open technical coaching centers in the Eastern districts which will prepare students secure marks needed to get admission into such technical courses.