New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued draft guidelines for higher education institutions to conceptualize projects that help students belonging to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) to earn while they learn.
The directions include the provision of jobs, such as assistantships in research projects, library/laboratory works, computer services, data entry, and the like.
The jobs in this manner can be provided to the students for 20 hours a week or 20 days a month. They can take up part-time jobs only after class hours. The students taking up such part-time jobs should be provided special certificates too.
As per the guidelines, the SEDGs include students belonging to gender categories like women and transgenders; socio-cultural identities such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and religious and linguistic minorities; those with physical and mental disabilities, including learning disabilities; economically weaker sections, human trafficking victims, etc.
Many abruptly discontinue their education at the school level itself, mainly due to socio-economic reasons, among others. Bridge courses should be extended to such students to address this education gap and enable them to avail higher studies. More outreach programmes should be rolled out to lure such students to higher education institutions, according to the draft guidelines.