The Maharashtra government has decided to the restore the earlier eligibility criteria for overseas education scholarships provided to students from marginalised communities. But with no written orders yet, students fear losing out on their opportunity to study abroad due to the delayed process.
Till last year, the cut-off score to avail the scholarship for post-graduation courses abroad was 60 per cent in the qualifying degree course. However, the state government, in June this year, issued an advertisement, inviting applications for the scholarship given to students from OBC and SC categories, in which the cut-off score was revised to 75 per cent.
The overseas education scholarships are provided to students from SC, ST, OBC, Maratha and EWS categories. The last minute change in the criteria had caused panic among many students.
Following protests by students, the state government, in the recently held monsoon session of the Assembly , decided to restore the earlier cut-off score.
Kuldeep Ambekar, from Students’ Helping Hands, a students’ organisation, said, “As the change was opposed by many, in the recently held Monsoon session of the legislative Assembly, it was decided that the eligibility criteria will be restored to its old format. While this came as a relief, it is only partial as without written orders regarding it, students cannot start the application process.”
Many of them had already received admission letters of respective universities abroad before the change in cut-off score was declared in June.
One of the students who is waiting to join a U.S.-based university to pursue Masters in Arts, said, “I had to report to the university in the first week of August. But that unlikely to happen now, as in the absence of written orders regarding restored eligibility criteria, our applications will not be processed. I have requested university for a deferral. But there is no clarity from the state government on when the process will finally start.”
While the students from SC and OBC categories are awaiting written orders, Ambedkar said, the government has also not issued advertisements seeking applications from students of ST and minority communities.
“This is going to further delay the process,” he added.
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