Tura, Oct 23: The ACHIK, a Garo Hills based organization has made an appeal to Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma seeking the extension of the Scholarship application deadline for the benefit of students.
In its appeal to Rakkam, the organization informed that many students are facing difficulties in completing their application due to delay in obtaining documents, limited access to internet, insufficient awareness of the available scholarships. According to the organization, there were further complications in the submitting process due to technical difficulties with the online application portal.
Pointing out that many students would lose out on the much-desired scholarship, the organization requested that an extension of the deadline for 20 more days be announced for students to gather required materials and successfully submit the applications.
High fee structure at P A Sangma University
Meanwhile, in a separate memorandum, the organization also wrote to the Vice Chancellor of the P A Sangma International Medical University in Ri-Bhoi raising concern over the university’s fee structure and its impact on the local students.
In its letter addressed to the official, the organization pointed out that the proposed fee structure was too high that many local students would not be able to afford the same.
“It has come to our attention that the current fees are notably higher than what many families in Meghalaya can afford, particularly for those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While we understand that medical education is resource-intensive and requires substantial investment, the high fee structure may inadvertently place higher education out of reach for many local students, thereby limiting the very purpose of this institution – to serve the people of Meghalaya,” it said.
Pointing out that the high fee structure could lead to the continued migration of talent and a scarcity of local medical practitioners in the state, it suggested that a special fee concession be allowed for local students, offer flexible payment plans, collaborate with the government and other local institutions to create subsidized seats and to hold a dialogue with local leaders, educators and communities to help understand concerns.
