Jadavpur University raising funds to buy smartphones for 800 students

NEW DELHI: Jadavpur University has appealed to its staff to donate a day’s salary to a fund that will go into purchasing electronic devices for underprivileged students. The devices are required for attending online classes for the new semester set to start this month

“I feel it is our moral responsibility to provide the students who do not possess a smartphone with a smartphone and to offer financial assistance to those students who need it to upgrade their data connectivity,” said Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of the university in a circular issued on Tuesday.

The university estimates it will need to raise about Rs 40 lakhs for this. The initiative will help 800 students from the science, engineering and arts streams, said an official.

Das said that the university has also approached the state government, Chambers of Commerce and the alumni association for funds but said, “it is likely that these attempts may not yield instant results”.

In this Jadavpur is following the examples of engineering institutions Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur and Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh.

Online education

The university proposes to start the intermediate semester online by the end of August.

The VC has requested the faculty members, colleagues and staff members to let the university know the “quantum” of their contribution in two to three days.

A special fund will be created to buy basic smartphones. The fund will also be used to provide necessary data connectivity to those students who cannot afford such facilities.

A circular by Gour Krishna Pattanayaak, the finance officer, says: “A provision [has been] created for the receipt of such funds for the IT support to students in view of the pandemic where the teachers and other employees can give their option for recovery and the pensioners for the pension, at will.”

Employees will have to send an email giving their consent to itsupportforstudents@jadavpuruniversity.in

The university has also appealed to alumni and general members of the public.

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