JNU researchers starved of funds

Shreya Ray / TNN / Apr 18, 2006, 23:39 IST

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59% of the students at JNU have said that their research work is suffering due to lack of finances.

NEW DELHI: In a survey which has brought out the urgent need for providing financial assistance to students pursuing research, 59% of the students at JNU have said that their research work is suffering due to lack of finances.
In a survey conducted by the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU), 59% of the 573 respondents said that inadequacy of finances was proving detrimental to their research work.
In fact, many of the students said that they have had to take up jobs at call centres or other side jobs just to support themselves, and this is affecting the quality of their research.
Of this 59%, half the students said that they are barely able to deal with basic expenditure like paying their mess bills. In fact, in the questionnaire circulated, students said that an amount of Rs 2,000-Rs 4,000 per month would take care of their basic needs.

The dropout rate amongst SC/ST students has also been swiftly increasing over the years as students are not able to continue with their MPhil or PhD since the need to support themselves financially becomes the primary concern.
"Students pursuing their PhD and MPhil are usually in the age group of 25-27 years and this is the time many face tremendous amount of pressure from their families �� girls are pressurised into getting married and boys into getting job �� because their families can't support them any longer," said Arani Sinha, secretary, JNUSU.

"Even if their families are supportive, students themselves start getting conscious of the fact that they need to start earning and end up taking these jobs," she added.
Though there are scholarship being offered �� from within JNU as well as from the UGC �� these are barely adequate. "UGC offers the Senior Research Scholarship and Junior Research Scholarship, but they cover very few students.
Some of the schemes offered by JNU offer very paltry sums like Rs 600 per month," added Sinha. "We'd request the administration and government to take note of the problem. Also, the government's schemes for single girl child and Rajiv Gandhi Scholarships �� have to start being properly implemented," added Sinha.

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