Scottish Church College, which has decided to waive fees for the ongoing and forthcoming semesters for students who have lost a parent to Covid, is considering a proposal to refund fees paid by those students in the immediate preceding semester.

Eight students of the college, who have lost a parent to Covid this year, have applied for a fee waiver for the ongoing and forthcoming semesters.

“If the authorities find it (the proposal on refund) feasible, a notification will be issued about the refund of fees paid in the last semester to help these students,” vice-principal Supratim Das said.

According to the fee structures posted on the college website, a microbiology honours student has to pay Rs 36,966 in the first semester. The amount covers lab fee, lab development fee, academic development fee, tuition fee and annual fee.

A physics honours student in the first semester has to pay Rs 17,166.

“We are concerned about the financial distress of the students who have lost a parent or both parents to Covid. A feasibility study on the refund proposal has to be undertaken as the revenue generation of the college has taken a substantial hit amid the pandemic,” a teacher of the college said.

According to him, continuance of classes on digital platforms, as a precaution against Covid, has resulted in a rise in the expenses of the institution.

Last year, the state government had prevented all colleges from collecting money from undergraduate aspirants for application forms and prospectuses because of overall financial distress caused by Covid.

Talking about the financial and mental distress faced by students, principal Madhumanjari Mandal had last week cited the instance of a student whose parents had committed suicide. “The student might not have lost her parents to Covid-19 per se, the pandemic-induced economic hardship is the probable trigger,” the principal said.