CHENNAI: At least 100 first generation students who have scored over 80 per cent in their higher secondary examinations and allotted seats in the engineering counseling, will have to forgo their dream of higher education due to financial constraints and tardy implementation of schemes by authorities and banks.
Velicham, an educational movement supporting first generation students, has written to the Chief Minister and Education Minister to solve the procedural issues to make bank loans available to these students so that they can pursue higher education. According to Velicham, at least ten students attempted suicide due to nonavailability of money for higher education and nearly half of these 100 students have only a single parent, which further restricts their financial support.P Rajagopal, a first generation student from Thalaivasal in Salem district, scored 85 per cent in the higher secondary exams. He attended counseling on July 20 and was given a seat in Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli Panruti Campus. While Rajagopal, being a first generation student, is eligible for a government support of `2,000 per year to study in a government college, he has been asked to pay the annual fee of `29,000 (including hostel fees) within ten days if he is to be admitted. "My mother is a daily wage earner. My father deserted our family long ago. It was my mother who toiled hard to make me study till this level. Now, all our dreams are crashing as we have not been able to raise the amount yet," says a tearful Rajagopal.
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