Girl faces financial hurdles for higher edu

Berhampur: A 20-year-old girl from a remote village in Gajapati district, who passed Plus II (Arts) with over 77% marks, is worried about her admission to Plus III. Parents of Sibani Gouda of Bebir village in Aliganda panchayat cannot provide money for her higher studies. And only two days are left to apply online for Plus III admissions.Admission fees for Plus III (Arts) differ from college to college. While it is Rs 1,800 in govt colleges, it varies from Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,000 in aided colleges, depending on the development fees. Private colleges collect up to Rs 20,000, sources said.While her father and mother work as daily-wage labourers in Cuttack, her 17-year-old brother suffers from a mental disorder and is undergoing treatment in Cuttack. Sibani stays in her uncle's house in the village.Sibani had been forced to drop one year after the HSC examination in 2022 due to financial constraints. "She applied to take admission for Plus II in a private college in Cuttack. But dropped out, as we could not arrange the money," said Saheb Gouda, her father.She took admission in a private school in Adava in 2023 with borrowed money, he said. The financial assistance (Rs 5,000) her mother received under the state govt's Subhadra Yojana helped her to take admission in Plus II (second year)."I requested the principal to give some time to repay the admission fee last year. The college authorities allowed it. I cleared the admission fees of Rs 8,500 after my mother received the first installment of Subhadra Yojana in September and borrowed the rest," said Sibani.Her father said his daughter is very ken on studies. "I can manage the admission fees, but there are other expenses for her studies and I cannot provide it," he said. Regional education director, Berhampur, Sidharth Shankar Padhy said they would not allow any student to discontinue their studies due to financial problems. "We will ask the nearby college principal to approach the student and ensure her admission in Plus III," he said.