Bangalore University offers free higher education to orphan students

BENGALURU: In a first in the state, the Bangalore University (BU) has launched a student adoption scheme, offering free education and boarding facilities to

orphan students

for two programmes---postgraduation and Ph.D. This year, two girl students are pursuing PG courses under the scheme.

There are 50 universities in the state, of which 25 are government, 15 deemed and 10 private. Students need to submit death certificates of their parents and income certificate to avail of the facility.

A senior official in BU said the teaching faculties of the university will donate money to provide free education to children under the scheme.

KN Ninge Gowda

, registrar of BU, said apart from providing free education and hostel facility, the students will be given free food and training in personality development. "If students fail to complete the course in the stipulated time, they will be allowed to stay in the hostel till they clear supplementary exams. The university has not reserved a particular number of seats for orphan students; meritorious students will be given seats under the general quota," he added.

Some years ago, the university had reserved seats for transgenders.