Bengaluru: After more than three weeks, confusion among the 195 students studying at the Indo Asian Academy in Bengaluru, India is purportedly cleared for now.

The students were given a reassurance after a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) was drawn last week between Careerinfo Bhutan, a consultancy based in Thimphu and the students.

The new MoU states that the students studying in the first and second semester, who were sent under the financial aid programme, will continue to receive the aid unless they fail.  Those who fail will have to pay the hostel fee if they stayed on campus.

This condition is applicable only if the students have an 80 percent attendance a semester, and should not have any adverse reports of substance abuse and misconduct in the college, the MoU states.

However, a new condition has been added where, if any of the students under the financial aid programme fails an examination in the second semester, the consultancy is responsible to arrange only the tuition fees for the students.

The consultancy’s head, Wangdi, said he would continue to make requests to the college for consideration of financial support for tuition fee even if they failed.

“The consultancy will stand by the commitments made in the MoU,” Wangdi said. “However, we can’t assist in matters concerning university and exam related discrepancies, and in matters concerning college’s disciplinary committee.”

After a round of five different group meetings that was held with the students after Wangdi visited the college on March 8, nine students to date have withdrawn from the college.

“They’ve discontinued their studies due to medical reasons and the college has granted their request without having to pay any hostel fee,” Wangdi said. “Out of the nine, one has passed while the rest failed.”

A total of 20 boys and 20 girls, who had requested to vacate hostel, have also been given permission to do so, Wangdi said.

“A copy of the agreement signed by the students has been given to them, and we’ve reaffirmed the terms and conditions as indicated in the MoU,” he said.

The chairman of the college, Professor T. Ekambaram Naidu, over the telephone, said the college had committed to all the conditions made under the financial aid programme to date.

“We’ve resolved all the issues and no wrong step has been taken,” Professor T. Ekambaram Naidu said.

Director general of the department of adult and higher education, Tshewang Tandin, said the consultancy and college has honoured their commitments made in the agreement.

“Since the issue has been solved, the department will keep on checking with the students studying in the college,” he said. “We urge the students not to worry.”

However, students studying in the college said they hoped that the consultancy and college would remain committed to the MoU.

The students were admitted in the college through the consultancy under a three-year scholarship programme funded by the college through Moolex Indo Asian Academy munivmoney’s financial support programme.

Under the programme, the college had waived hostel and tuition fees for Bhutanese students.  The students had to pay only Nu 47,000 for a three-year degree programme.

The students were admitted in the college last July.

By Thinley Zangmo

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