Online Semester: AMU raising funds from alumni for laptops, broadband

NEW DELHI: Aligarh Muslim University is seeking donations from alumni to help disadvantaged students buy laptops and broadband connections. Classes for the new semester, which began on August 5, will be held entirely online.

The funds collected will be utilised to help students with “financial limitations” access the online semester amid the coronavirus pandemic, said a letter to the alumni from AMU Vice-Chancellor, Tariq Mansoor.

The engineering colleges, including several Indian Institutes of Technology, were the first to announce online semesters and launch fundraisers to purchase laptops and broadband connections for students who did not have them. The colleges include IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

Equity, affordability and inclusion have always been hallmarks of education at AMU. With this new normal been defined, let us join hands to ensure no disadvantaged fellow Alig is left out. ? https://t.co/pNGD0yCcjR

— Tariq Mansoor (@ProfTariqManso1) August 10, 2020

Appeal to AMU alumni

In a letter addressed to the alumni, AMU VC Tarique Mansoor said: “Many of our students are not in a position to receive this online education effectively due to their financial limitations. We request the alumni to come forward to help the students with the gadget and facility they need to receive the online instructions.”

Mansoor further requested the alumni to support at least one student for which the estimated cost is Rs 50,000.

The decision to conduct the online semester has been taken to continue the teaching-learning experience without “compromising on the health of students”, Mansoor said. To contribute funds, the university has created dedicated bank accounts for alumni residing in India and abroad.

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