IIT Kanpur starts fundraising campaign to provide laptops, broadband to 600 students

In a noble initiative, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur has started a fundraising campaign for students of lower economic backgrounds who cannot afford a laptop and broadband connection. The crisis triggered by the Coronavirus pandemic has forced educational institutions throughout the world to go for online teaching and classes.

IIT Kanpur has taken the decision to go completely online for the first semester (2020 -21) but faces a logistical hurdle in implementing this policy for Undergraduate students who come from poorer backgrounds and hence, cannot afford necessary hardware like laptops and broadband connections to support online education.

The Institute says it has 600 such students and estimate that the cost of each laptop and broadband connection, which many students require, is approximately Rs. 50,000. To cover the expenses, the total amount required is nearly Rs 3 crore.

In a statement on its website, the Institute has called ppn its alumni to step in for the initiative. "Our Alumni have consistently given back to the institute, which has enabled the institute to undertake projects and initiatives that would otherwise have not been possible... We thus request you to support us in this initiative and help the current students of their alma mater obtain the best possible education to succeed in life. We hope to have one alumnus supporting one student that will make the process of helping the students smoother and more transparent."

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Promotion on academic performance

IIT Kanpur will promote students depending upon their performance in the semesters. Recently, the decision was taken by IIT Kanpur Senate. These students also include final year graduating students. The director of IIT Kanpur, Abhay Karandikar, said that as a one-time exception, all the students will be awarded grades for their courses based on mid-semester exam/projects. He further added that they have closed the semester (2019-20) for all students considering the extraordinary disruption in the semester including the summer term.

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