Collector Teja, corporates lend a helping hand to students who lost parents to Covid

Thrissur: Thrissur Collector V R Krishna Teja has intervened to ensure the continued education of children who lost one or both of their parents to Covid.

At least 50 students are being extended financial assistance for their studies in just one-and-a-half months under the project rolled out in cooperation with good Samaritans and corporate institutions.

The first student got the assistance on May 20, and the initiative now covers 50 beneficiaries in the space of just one-and-a-half months. The beneficiaries include those who are undergoing courses in Engineering, Chartered Accountancy, BSc Nursing, BSc Chemistry, B A Economics, B A English, Draftsman Mechanics, Lab Technician, B Com, Ayurveda Therapy, and Hotel Management, among others.

The Collector directly got in touch with various educational institutions such as Sakthan Thampuran College, Chinmaya Mission College, Thrissur CA chapter, West Fort College of Nursing, Pottur, and SI-MET College of Nursing, Malampuzha, in neighbouring Palakkad district to fully or partially exclude the course fees of the students.

The aim of the project is to help those students, who lost at least one of their parents, the primary breadwinners, to the pandemic, to continue their education and complete the present courses for which they have enrolled. Students who excel in studies but hail from financially struggling families are included in the project.

There are 609 students in the district who lost one or both of their parents to Covid. The sponsors directly hand over the financial aid to the students at the Collector’s chamber.

“The beneficiaries are selected based on their academic performance and financial situation. More students will be extended assistance for their studies in the coming days,” the Collector said.

How the students benefit?

Under the project, the expenses incurred by the students for completing existing courses in or outside the district, including hostel fee, are met with the help of sponsors.

Currently, the assistance is being extended to help the students complete the course they are currently pursuing. Those who pass the courses with flying colours will be further assisted in pursuing higher education.

Major sponsors

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai), Sarojini Damodar Foundation, Erinjipurath Family Trust, All-Kerala Chemist Association, Thrissur district Sakkath Committee, noted industrialist Abdul Latheef, retired bank employee and social worker Kalyana Krishnan have also come forward to extend sponsorships as part of the initiative.

The COVID-19 pandemic raged from early 2020 to around mid-2022 world over.