TIRUCHY: Despite having the zeal to achieve career goals and being fully eligible to choose a path, sometimes, it is the educational institution that is to blame for killing the very dream. A case in point is 40-year-old M Kamaraj’s aspirational yet arduous journey of becoming a teacher. Kamaraj, a disabled rights activist from Tiruchy, had completed MA in History and applied for MPhil in 2016 at a college affiliated to Bharathidasan University.
He had obtained 53.4 per cent in MA and was eligible for admission as per the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil/PhD Degrees) Regulations, 2016. As per the norms, a relaxation of five per cent of marks, from 55 per cent to 50 per cent, or an equivalent relaxation of grade, may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-Abled and other categories as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.
However, he was denied admission. Several universities, including Bharathidasan University, had not conformed to UGC norms. “The university did not recognise the UGC norms for admissions for the academic year 2016-17. Despite bringing the norms to the notice of the Vice-Chancellor, I did not get a favourable reply. Also, my application to the RTI in early 2017 did not see any reply,” said Kamaraj.
It was only after several petitions to government offices and colleges that Bharathidasan University finally included the five per cent concession for disabled students from the academic year 2017-18. To ensure that no other disabled student goes through the same mental stress, Kamaraj then filed a PIL in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in 2017. He listed out all the colleges and universities that did not apply the UGC norms across the country in the petition. He said that even the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities did not implement the UGC norms in 2016-17.
Kamaraj says that he spent a lot of time and money running back and forth to several places for getting the UGC norms recognised.
“Despite having the marks, I was denied admission. It took a toll on me, financially and mentally. I have four sisters and mother to feed. Due to all these reasons, I had to postpone my MPhil till last year,” he adds.
He finally enrolled for MPhil for 2020-21. His friends are helping him with fees. He has completed several degrees and also cleared the TET but has not got any posting yet. “The reason I took so much effort in 2016 was to ensure that no one after me should lose out on education due to lack of implementation of norms,” he says.