Kerala: Dalit scholars for stipends on time

Thiruvananthapuram: Research scholars belonging to Scheduled Caste community have come out against the hardship they face due to the delay on the part of the government in disbursing scholarships on time. In most cases, scholarships are delayed by more than six months, said research scholars who took part in a discussion on scholarship for SC/St students organised by RIGHTS in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.

Jestin Varghese a PhD scholar in MG University narrated a unique problem faced by students of that university only. In all other universities in the state, students who have completed MPhil need not have to clear the course work test before getting a permanent registration certificate. Till then, they are given only a provisional registration certificate. This certificate could enable them to get fellowships of the UGC and many other national agencies.

However, due to an anomaly in the clause, they were denied fellowships of the state government. Hence, dalit students who registered for PhD in 2011 began receiving the scholarships from Scheduled Caste department only in 2015. The PhD regulations have made it very clear that those who take up fulltime research are not eligible to take up any job with remuneration. The projects they take up in their area of research during the period should also be honorary in nature, Mr Varghese said.

Another issue faced by Dalit Christians are that they are included in the OEC list and not in the Scheduled Caste list. Hence, their fellowship fund is clubbed with that of the OBC. This has also been creating delay owing to the scarcity of funds, Mr Varghese said. Maya Pramod a research scholar from Calicut University said that students said they have to face immense hardships due to the irregular disbursal of scholarships, which even jeopardised their livelihood and academic performance.