4,800 RU students to get smartphone loan – Education – observerbd.com

Nearly 4,800 insolvent students of Rajshahi University (RU) are going to get loans for purchasing smartphones for taking part in online classes.

Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC) will extend the loan in pursuit of online education in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Each student will get TK 8,000 interest free loan and they can repay the loan in four installments or at a time.

Confirming the loan issue, UGC Member Prof Bishwajit Chanda said the loan support will be provided within the shortest possible time with a view to ensuring hundred percent students’ attendance in the cybernetic classes.

Prof Chanda, who is also a law teacher in the University said all educational institutions across the country remained shut down since March 17 this year due to COVID-19 pandemic and according to government’s latest announcement, the institutions will remain closed till November 14.

In the uncertainty, the UGC after holding a meeting with all the universities to introduce online classes on June 25 last .

Afterwards, the public and autonomous universities had launched online classes but more than 50 percent students were found absent .

“The UGC has arranged the loan assistance for removing the financial constraints and limitations being faced by the students,” said Prof Chanda.

In addition to the loan, we are talking with the mobile operators for providing internet facilities to the students in easy packages. “We are expecting to announce the decision within a shortest possible time,” he added.

In a virtual meeting between UGC and all the 39 public and autonomous universities on November 4, the decision was taken to provide interest-free study loan amounting to TK 8,000 among 41,501 students throughout the country.

BSS/GY