So, who exactly do educational schemes benefit?

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A second-year engineering student was barred from taking her exam because of unpaid college fees, a report said in this paper. A student of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Science programme at a Chembur college, was reportedly denied entry despite her father's requests for assistance under the ‘Mulina Mofat Shikshan Yojana'.

He stated that he provided the necessary documentation for her to avail of benefits under the scheme, but the college refused to accept it. Things came to a head and finally a political party intervened with the student being allowed to take the exam.

Without taking sides, this has shown that there are government schemes aimed at supporting students but there has to be better communication between the educational authorities and those in charge of these schemes. There needs to be a complete understanding on what these schemes are, who they are meant for, how they can be availed of and the stand of the institution when it comes to such announcements.

Do the administrators and government officials sit together to get complete clarity on this? Once dialogue is over, everything should be in writing in black 'n' white with schools and colleges so that there can be no grey area at all. Parents, too, can be called to a specific meet or seminar by college authorities along with government officials explaining the scheme. Timelines have to be clearly delineated and explained. Doubts need to be cleared so that there is no confusion. Most importantly, educational hubs and government officials need to be on the same page.

Students and parents too are under tremendous stress thanks to our academic system. This doubles/trebles during exam time. Let us not add to that but alleviate it, through absolute clear crisp and concise clarity.