Tech Education Minister Reviews Fee Waiver for Women Students in Pune

By: WE staff | Monday, 17 February 2025

• Pune’s Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, initiated proactive measures for the fee waiver program for girls.
• The fee waiver was announced by the Mahayuti government.
• The move aims to support women’s education and promote gender equality in higher and technical education.

Pune's Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, took proactive steps to implement the fee waiver for girls announced by the Mahayuti government. The step aims to support women’s education and promote gender equality in higher and technical education.

Chandrakant Patil, Pune's Higher and Technical Education Minister, conducted an unannounced inspection at Abasaheb Garware College to assess the implementation of the fee waiver scheme for girls. He plans to conduct similar impromptu visits to 100 colleges across the state.

The state government's initiative aims to waive fees for professional and medical education, boosting women's participation in higher education. The fee waiver scheme covers 842 courses with a budget allocation of Rs 2,000 crore.

The Directorate of Higher and Technical Education has set up a dedicated task force to address grievances of women students. Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for educational institutions regarding the implementation of the scheme.

During his visit to Garware College, Chandrakant engaged with women students to understand their concerns. He highlighted that financial constraints often prevent girls from pursuing higher education, emphasizing the need for a complete fee waiver for professional and medical programs.

The minister advised women students to contact their college nodal officers by March 31 to complete the necessary documentation for the fee waiver. He advocated for the establishment of joint committees, comprising students and college administration, at each institution to address female students’ concerns effectively.

The State Higher and Technical Education Department launched a helpline number to address issues related to the tuition fee waiver scheme. The scheme is for all girls pursuing professional courses whose family income is less than Rs 8 lakhs.

The helpline aims to resolve any problems or queries related to the fee waiver process.