Patna: The Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Motihari has decided to introduce an "earn while you learn" scheme under which students will be paid for the work they carry out on the campus.
Around 60 students had helped the university administration in cataloguing of books at the library around a year back; the varsity has decided to pay the students for their job under the new scheme.
The university administration has decided to pay the students from its internal resources as the Union ministry of human resources development has refused to provide funds for the purpose.
Sources said that the university administration's step is meant to bridge the gap between studentseachers and the university administration.
Last month, the university witnessed friction after an assistant professor, Sanjay Kumar, was assaulted by some youths allegedly for posting a Facebook comment against former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sanjay and his friends had claimed the attack was made on the behest of the university administration.
There was tension on campus after the incident, with the administration deciding to close down the university sine die from August 20. The university reopened on September 5, but the tension remains.
"Though the step to compensate the students is small, but it is a positive one taken by the university administration to improve the academic atmosphere," a varsity official said requesting anonymity. "The students who had worked were demanding the university administration pay for the work they had done."
The varsity administration has asked the students who had worked to submit their bank details and Aadhaar numbers for getting the payment.
Vice-chancellor Arvind Agarwal said: "The students had arranged around 20,000 books, which was huge task, as there was no librarian. The university administration at that time had informed the students that they will be paid by the Union ministry but the ministry has refused to provide funds under the scheme."
The VC confirmed that the university has decided to pay the students from its internal resources.
Last year during the centenary year celebration of the Champaran movement, the university published two books on Mahatma Gandhi. The books, written by university teachers and some officials, have earned Rs 80,000 as royalty. The university has decided to pay the students from the royalty money.
