Reimbursing Free Education

Colleges in Assam are caught in a cleft stick over free education to poor students, with Dispur tardy in releasing funds. In June 2016, Assam became the first State in the country to make higher secondary, 3-year degree and polytechnic diploma courses completely free for students belonging to families with yearly income less than Rs 1 lakh. This scheme covered 310 government and provincialized colleges, leaving private colleges out of its ambit. The next year, this scheme brought in a conservation effort, making it mandatory for beneficiaries to plant and care for saplings. There have been teething troubles, like students taking admission in multiple colleges in the first year, and complaints about bogus income certificates obtained by bribing revenue officials. While these are being gradually sorted out, reportedly the problem of late release of funds by the State government has become a headache for college authorities. While the scheme has been lauded for ambitious scope, the government has to be prompt in releasing funds for subsidized education. In the first year of the scheme, it was estimated the government will need to provide additional expenditure of Rs 70 crore, which would increase in subsequent years. As of now, few colleges can bear the burden of unpaid dues to the tune of Rs 50-70 lakh run up under this head. While college revenues have taken a hit in forgoing a part of student fees and the government failing to reimburse the deficit in timely manner, the overall health of college finances has become a matter of concern. It is another issue fuelling the angst of college teachers. With the new academic session only a couple of months away, the higher education department needs to work out these issues. The State is rightfully taking pride in empowering the deprived with education. But quality of education must not be allowed to suffer, which requires a hard look at college finances and what they can offer in terms of effective learning outcomes.