Jadavpur University has provided funds to 22 of its visually impaired students so they can stay at rented places that have good Internet connectivity and attend online classes.

The students, mostly from remote areas, used to stay at JU hostels. Since the campus was shut down in March following the Covid-19 outbreak, they have been staying at home. Many are unable to attend online classes because of poor Net connectivity in their localities.

These students cannot afford rented accommodations in the city because of financial reasons, said JU officials.

JU had on January 30 provided Rs 5,000 to each of the 22 visually impaired students, following a demonstration by a forum for physically challenged students.

“The financial help will initially be provided till March. We will think about continuing the help if the situation demands,” said Rajat Roy, the dean of students. “We have estimated monthly rent to be around Rs 2,000 per month and the rest Rs 1,000 is for food and other expenses.”

The university has around 50 visually impaired students.

“They will share the financial resources so that many students could be benefited,” said Jishu Debnath, a member of the forum, who is doing a PhD in Bengali at JU.