Jadavpur University Raising Funds to Provide Smartphones to Underprivileged Students

Jadavpur University has asked its staff to donate a day's salary to a fund to purchase electronic devices for underprivileged students. Devices are required to attend online classes for the new semester set to start this month.

"I feel it is our moral responsibility to provide students who do not have a smartphone and to provide financial assistance to those students who need it to upgrade their data connectivity," said Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University, in a circular issued on Tuesday.

The university estimates that about Rs 40 lakhs will need to be raised for this. The initiative will help 800 students in the fields of science, engineering and the arts, said the official.

Das said that the university also approached the state government, Chambers of Commerce and the Alumni Funding Association, but said, "It is likely that these attempts may not produce instant results."

This is followed by examples of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur and Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh engineering institutions.

Online Education

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

The VC requested faculty members, colleagues and staff members to inform the university of the "quantum" of their contribution within two to three days.

A special fund will be set up to purchase basic smartphones. The Fund will also be used to provide the necessary data connectivity for those students who can not afford such facilities.

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

Employees will need to send an email giving their consent to supportforstudents@jadavpuruniversity.

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