CHENNAI: Nearly 15 years after GOs were passed to exempt differently abled students from paying tuition fees and special fees in government and aided colleges, it is yet to be implemented in many of these institutions, said Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC). Since many departments are involved in ensuring that GOs are implemented in spirit, they urged the chief secretary to convene a meeting.
An order in 2008 was passed to exempt differently abled students from paying tuition fees in higher education institutions, including open university, law, medicine, engineering, fisheries, veterinary and polytechnic colleges. Another order was passed in 2010 exempting these students from special fees like laboratory and examination fees. However, this is yet to be enforced in these institutions.
In 2010, the then differently -abled department secretary wrote to collectors seeking to spread awareness on the orders. Even then, the situation remains the same, the association said. “The orders have to be implemented in higher education institutions under various departments including health, law and fisheries. Because of this, the differentlyabled department is struggling to take effective measures to enforce them. Hence, we are asking the chief secretary to convene a meeting of relevant department secretaries so that the orders are implemented at least this academic year,” said S Namburajan, state vice-president of TARADAC.