NEFIS asserted that it would mobilize students on the issue, if the demands are not met.
TFM Desk
North-East Forum for International Solidarity (NEFIS) on Monday submitted a representation to the University Grants Commission (UGC) urging the commission to extend the deadline for applying for Ishan Uday Scholarship for the North Eastern Region.
The Ishan Uday Scholarship which is specifically meant for students from Northeast has the deadline of November 30, 2021, for the applicants. However, the said deadline would deny many prospective applicants the opportunity for applying, as they are yet to get their admissions confirmed across institutions in the country, NEFIS said in a release.
NEFIS maintained that the admission process for various undergraduate and postgraduate courses is underway in many higher educational institutions in the country. For example, at Delhi University, the colleges are not providing the students with the bonafide certificates which are required for applying, citing the ongoing admission process.
“As such, there are many students who are yet to get admission in these educational institutions. Thus, the deadline would simply debar them from availing the scholarship. The North-East region, it should be noted, has been deprived of educational infrastructure for a long time. In this context, denying the students of the region from availing the scholarship would only serve to deny them opportunities in higher education”.
Likewise, similar problems are being faced by the students with regard to other national scholarships. Terming the issue extremely serious NEFIS called for immediate intervention by the commission, as the deadlines would render the prospective applicants unable to apply for scholarships, it added.
NEFIS, in the memorandum submitted to the UGC Chairperson, demanded that the deadline for Ishan Uday Scholarship for North Eastern Region should be extended till the admission process is complete in higher educational institutions across the country. It also demanded that the deadlines for other national scholarships too must be extended.
NEFIS asserted that it would mobilize students on the issue, if the demands are not met.