The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to provide interest-free loans to 41,501 insolvent students of public universities for buying smartphones to ensure their participation in online education programmes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Each student from 39 public universities will get the highest Tk 8,000 as a soft loan.
The decision was taken at a virtual meeting presided over by UGC Chairman Dr Kazi Shahidullah on Wednesday, reports UNB.
The students recommended by Soft Loan Approval Committee will get the money in their bank accounts within January 31, next year, it said.
They have to repay the loans in four installments after the university classes resume or during their studentship.
On August 9, UGC sought a list of insolvent students who are unable to buy smartphones from the vice-chancellors (VCs) of public universities. Later, the VCs submitted a list of 41,501 students.
In the list, the highest number of students, 8,556, are from Dhaka University and the lowest number of students, 5,860, from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET).
National University, Bangladesh Open University, Islami Arabic University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Chittagong Medical University (CMU), Rajshahi Medical University and Sylhet Medical University have been kept out of the loan facility.
