Jamia Journal Independent Student-run News Website of Jamia Millia Islamia (a Central University)
In today’s time, money is of prime importance for anybody; especially for students.
For a student like me who travels 30 odd kilometers every day to reach Jamia, it’s a prime concern.
But in Jamia, I find that students don’t have any opportunity to become self-reliant; there is a lot of red-tape here. Because of this, students here don’t get a chance to work even part time to fulfill their basic needs.
What I believe and most of us will agree with this fact — in Delhi, which is becoming expensive day by day, the students who are totally dependent on their parents feel irritated and dissatisfied because their requirements cannot be fulfilled.
The only solution to this problem is that students should have more money to begin with, but that is not the case. In Delhi, I believe a student’s minimum requirement is Rs.500 per day, which is a very high amount for any student’s parents to afford; but according to the environment in Delhi it is just a penny. A student will only be able to meet his basic needs with this amount.
The problem is: most parents here do not give Rs. 10,000 per month as pocket money to their children. In fact a vast majority of parents don’t give any pocket money at all.
I know that for well-to-do parents Rs 500 per day is a paltry sum, but most of the students in Jamia come from middle class families. So here a student suffers in a big way, as I m suffering and so are many others like me. In my opinion, the average monthly allowance that a student gets from his parents varies between Rs.1,500 to 3,000 normally, so there is a shortfall of 70- 85% between actual expenses and what is required. This makes one wonder how a student manages with this 80% shortfall.
If it is taken in normal economic conditions, such a scenario might lead to recession and ultimately adversely affect the economy. But here the one falling, is not the economy, it’s the young aspiring individual who is unable to fulfill even his basic needs. Also, it leads to greater dependence on bad habits and bad company by the student.
In Jamia, there is no way a student can fill this huge gap of money that should to be provided to him to fulfill his basic needs. Admittedly, Jamia charges reasonable tuition fee, and this is praiseworthy; however, students have various other high expenses which need to be taken care of by the students.
The university, I propose, should establish a system where a student can work and make some money to be able to meet his everyday expenditure. It will benefit the university as well because it will have a large number of students as part of its casual workforce to assist in its proper functioning and hence maintain its reputation as a world-class institution.
In Jamia, we still have to wait hours in queue to deposit our fees, or to get a photocopy done, or even to make a bus pass. If the university takes the help of its students to manage these day-to-day tasks, students will be spared the agony of having to wait for long hours to get simple work done.
Unfortunately, this is not happening, and Jamia is still functioning under the cap of Babuism and red-tape. I request the vice chancellor of Jamia, to take a note of this problem, faced by so many of Jamia’s students, and consider implementing my proposed solution.
[Naveen Kumar Sharma is a postgraduate student in the Department of Commerce and Business Studies. He can be reached via email at: neo.abm[at]gmail.com]
I fully agree with his views beacuse there are so much student who comes from the middle family backgroud and they did manage there daily expenses and that’s why they will servive from many problem.
I think, in every university should oragnaise part time jobs for the student who will servive to maintain their daily expenses.
thanks for your article, no we know the exact condition of local student that they are also have to faced several problem in Delhi,,,,,I though before, just only us as an international student that faced several problem starting with weather, food, shelter etc…. For this I would like to give you an appreciate for your honest,,,,calooo bayyya,,,,never say give up,,,
WWOOOAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! NAveen gud yaar…..i really appreciate ur views…but it is not possible everywhere!!!!!!!!!but overall excellent coverage…nicely interpreted……Employ Students for On-Campus Jobs is a very challenginig topic 4 all of us..v should all cum forward 4 it…..v all really appreciate ur opinion…thanx……..
Thanks Shahnawaj and Jamia, i m very pleased that u had come forward on posted ur valuable comments on the article.
I need to tell u Shahnawaj that it can be mostly anywhere, as we need the basic thing everywhere.
Dear Mr. Naveen Kr., Rs. 500/- per day is too high. Isn’t it? My experience is a little different from you. So, I thought to share it with you. Might be it become benefic for you. I never took a peny from my parents as a pocket money and for tution fees after my 12th class. I did B.Com (H) [from DU, regular], CS (along with graduation, for which I paid for coaching and institute’s fees also) and LL.B. from Delhi University(partly along with CS and partly along with full time CS training) Since 2004, I’m travelling atleast 50 kms, a day. Even as on date, travel for my job is 60 kms per day. So, try to think and analyse, what you can do. You got 24 hours a day. That is so huge. So, try allocating your time and find solution, you will get the way. Even today, my daily expense is not Rs. 500 per day, even when I’m travelling by my own car, even if I include the fuel expense and my monthly EMI. So.. .. where there is a will, there is definately a way. Don’t ask me “HOW??” I can reply to your “HOW”, also, but find that “How you can do it yourself?”
@ Poornima, first of all i want to thank u for reading and replying to my article.
I am very amzed with u and ur effort. Excption always have the space everywhere, so u are one the exception.
The problem in India that we have adopted the american culture fully, in America young girls,boys leave their home after grad and start earning at the very young age. The average age of an PG student in USA and in west is 29. So money is not the concern for them. But in india there is opposite, we will need time to adopt to the system that u followed Poornima. I appreciate u for ur efforts. After reading ur views i had become fan of yours. So i will love to meet u in person in near person.
Regards
Naveen,
I really wish students taking up jobs could be a solution for the Babudom in Jamia.
I guess you’re suffering from the I-can’t-find-words-for-the-thoughts-in-my-head syndrome. I can see that coz I write too, and I suffer from this too, but, ‘mending’ your thoughts like that could actually lead to you bending them.
Anyway, I think 500 rupees is really too much, and I feel your parents must be extremely well-to-do to be able to afford giving you that huge sum. If you look around carefully the realisation that not every one is blessed enough to have their basic needs met might dawn on you. Look at the children of the construction workers at Jamia that one sees around the Main Campus all the time.
An atypical example of extremely worse off students from the University Polytechnic that comes to my mind is of 6 students living in a single room and sharing a toilet and making ends meet with the inadequate 2700 or so their parents are able to provide them with.
Then, there is a classmate of mine who is in the classroom as a student from 9 in the morning till 4-5.30 p.m. and is a tutor to school students till 11 in the night is a classic example of what a student make out of his free hours if he’s really willing and motivated.
If you retrospect and introscept, I think you’ll find that 500 is a sum that’s fine by you, and maybe thats the reason why you didnt care enough to think of ways to complement that, and why you couldnt take the time out of the 5-6 hours you get everyday that you could commit to something worthwhile.
I really do not mean to offend you by anything I’ve written here. Its always good to see things from a different perspective. Please do think about it.
And, even though I maintain that alternatives can be explored, I see Jamia as an educational institution and not an organization for youth/student employment, I dont see this as a solution for babudom..who guarantees that the students (if this such a thing ever happens, students taking up posts, et al) would be robust and responsible about their duties?
Please take this as a reply to the discussion. I hate sounding irritated in the post.
Best regards.
@ Aaliya khan, first of all i thank your for reading my article and giving your important thoughts.
As reply to your latest post post, I just want to ask why your stdying in Economics in Graduation? Why u have come from all the way from UP to Delhi leaving your aside?
If u answer these question, u will find why we study, if one have good marks, good qualification, one can live empowered and leave behind poverty. We study and take degree for our living, don’t u agree with me….So that in near fututure we will be empowered and be able to live with head straight in the society. Also to devlop ourself we go to college, meet new people, maintain friendship and relatoions. New university’s that are seetting up by the private sector have this provison of Student on campus employment in the initials of their Memorandum of Association. If the private universitys can offer their studnts job between the study period on campus, why can’t jamia. In jamia, there is lots of Red tapism, even to appoint a guest faculity on ocassional basis it takes months. I remember in the last semester one of our teacher got appointed but had not have the offer letter in writing from the university, the result we had lost the very talented faculity. So the faclulity had taked only one class and then next class after one month, finally gone for ever.In the end we had sufferd a lot for that particular subject, as no one was avaliable to teach the subject. Here that’s the way things works miss Aaliya. One can’t think of this large reform for on campus student employment. I think it will take decade to implenment it. If u dont believe me, just take a visit of any newely established private university, u will be able to feel the difference.For the point of placement, its the duty of the university to have good link with industry. But in jamia it is not so. University/College is the induction stage for any youngster to enter in the industry. So this is moral and statutory responsiblity of the university/college towards the students to empower with necessary skill set to deal with the life ahead with the world.
Coming back to your second opinion
You have to look at the thing for different perspective. If you carefully study my article, you will reach a conclusion taking into consideration of all my mentioned point, that education now a days is not for poor. If any person from poor background tries for education he/she will find it very hard to maintain his/her studies. If his/her fees is very low, then also the poor student will find it very uneasy to continue his/her studies. Because in today’s time cost of living is very very high, specially in Delhi and other metro cities. Even Rs 500 per day is not enough to meet a studens daily expenses.
Take a case. the period of Study is very very pain full for a student who comes from a middle class background. For a student from the poor background study don’t exists in today’s time. Especially studying in university is only a dream for the poor people. They can only study in the university effectively if they been 100% financed by the goverment or universityfor their fees and cost of living. Then they will be able to stydy in a efficient way.
In delhi itself the most expensive job is to study. I think all will agree with this. It also holds true for other metropolitian cities. In delhi even if one want to attend his/her coaching it requires minimum Rs 100 for only travelling. All the student including myself spent that amount of money on regular basis on travelling. Student have also all other expenses even they dont know that these expenses exists. Studnts have to spent a lot on food,friends, recreation etc. which no one takes care of these types of expenses, but for a student these things means a lot. So the minimum amount of Rs 500 is decent enough but not sufficient enough.
There should be a alternate way in the university system so that a student can finance his/her needs by doing some word in his/her free time. But in most of the goverment universities this thing don’t exists.
Also there should be enough opportunities for the students to work part time else where in the city, for this the student need goverment support, but in delhi it does not exists. . In the end youngers like me and your feel frustrated and annoyed.So there is a very large role from the university side to play on this aspect In t he west including USA have this efficient system of on campus jobs or other work opportunities for the students in the city. That’s is the main reason why only approx 6% students of the total student population been able to go for higher education. Those who’s been able to make it out in the higher studies finds it very difficult to surive in this high cost environment.
Thanks so much for replying. And fbing for my email address. :)
I’ll read and reply to your post if/when I find the time.
good but 500 is to much for a middle class family i think 100 would b enough.
Nitesh, considering the level of Delhi and current cost of living prices, even 500 is a paltry sum. Manging all thing in Rs 100 is very very difficult. I have also explained in my article in detail about the need of minimum amount for students.