The University Grants Commission (UGC) will provide soft loans to 41,501 students of 39 public universities across the country to help them buy smartphones for their online academic activities.
Each student will get Tk 8,000 by January 31 next year. The students will have to pay back the money in four installments after the reopening of the universities, said a UGC press release on Wednesday.The regulatory body of country’s higher education took the decision today during a virtual meeting with its Chairman Professor Kazi Shahidullah in the chair.
UGC will provide the fund to the universities in advance under fiscal year 2020-21.
Lists of students who need the money to buy the phones for getting connected to the classes have already been prepared by the universities concerned.
The country’s premier university Dhaka University will receive the highest amount of fund for 8,556 students while Khulna University of Engineering and Technology will get the lowest amount of fund for 5,860 students.
However, the students of National University, Bangladesh Open University, Islamic Arabic University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Chittagong Medical University, Rajshahi Medical University and Sylhet Medical University will not get the loan, added the release.
UGC members Professor Dr Dil Afroza Begum, Professor Dr Sazzad Hossain, Professor Md Alamgir, Professor Biswajit Chanda and Professor Dr Md Abu Taher, among others, participated in the meeting.
