Loyola College of Arts and Science, one of the Jesuit institutions in Tamil Nadu, has come forward to sponsor the academic fees of poor students amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The college is located in Mettala near Salem but in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu. It was started in 2015, affiliated to the Periyar University, Salem.
It is one of the nine colleges the Jesuits manage in Tamil Nadu. The college has 1,075 students, including 442 girls, coming mostly from Namakkal and Salem districts. Matters India interviewed College principal Jesuit Father Maria Joseph Mahalingam about the work of Jesuit educational institutions in Tamil Nadu “The Periyar University extended the deadline for admission until October 30. Our Jesuit community analyzed local people’s financial situation and made a comparative study of admissions in the previous academic years. We also studied the college’s fee structure. Each semester, a student needs to pay 9,500 rupees for Arts and 10,000 rupees for the Science course. The college’s fee structure covers the expenses of special training for the Union Public Service Commission exams, English coaching and Computer Education. The financial crisis due to the continuing lockdown and the inability of bright students to pay the necessary college fees prompted us to offer the maximum scholarship to the needy.” said the college principal “Loyola College, Mettala, charges only 5,000 rupees from the first year students for the first semester while the semester fee is 10,000 rupees. For the orphan, semi-orphan, differently-abled students, some have paid only 5,000 rupees for the entire year while they need to pay 47,000 rupees including the college, hostel and examination fee for two semesters.”