BHUBANESWAR: With banks either reluctant to extend education loans or seeking mortgage for the borrowing, the Higher Education department has asked vice-chancellors (V-Cs) of all public universities to seek help of the state-level bankers’ committee (SLBC) to address the issue.
The issue was taken up in the presence of deputy chief minister Pravati Parida during a vice-chancellors’ conference held under the chairmanship of Governor and Chancellor of Universities, recently.
Officials concerned said students were being harassed by banks for education loans despite the state government’s provision of interest subsidy. There have been instances where students, particularly from tribal background, have been asked by banks for mortgaging their land for securing study loans, they added. The issue was also raised recently at the standing committee meeting of the state Assembly.
The department asked all the vice-chancellors to keep at least one faculty member in charge of the university’s scholarship cell to assist in education loan related queries. “V-Cs should take up the matter fairly and squarely and ensure that such harassment complaints, particularly by tribal students seeking loans, do not occur,” said commissioner-cum-secretary of the department Aravind Agarwal.
He also directed the SLBC to issue advisory to all banks not to demand a mortgage for loans up to Rs 4 lakh and also forward the same to all universities and colleges affiliated to them for awareness of students.
Apart, the V-Cs were asked to create awareness among students about social security schemes like Pradhan Mantri Bima Suraksha Yojana and Krushi Vidya Nidhi scheme, which gives free scholarships to children of small and marginal farmers who are pursuing higher education.
The meeting was attended by V-Cs and registrars of all 15 public universities and regional director of RBI Sarada Prasan Mohanty, among others.