129,000 Freshers, One Dream: The No Academic Fee Policy and What It Really Means
A few years ago, I stumbled into a situation I never saw coming. I was sitting in the middle of a cramped kitchen, laptop open, Wi-Fi barely hanging on, trying to figure out how to pay my university fees. My bank account was a joke, my scholarship application had gone nowhere, and I was eating instant noodles for the third night in a row (don’t judge me—it was the spicy one, at least).
Fast forward to today, and I just read that 129,000 freshers have applied for a grant under the No Academic Fee Policy. And honestly? It hit me right in the gut.
Because I know what it feels like to want something more for yourself—education, freedom, a shot at changing your future—and not be able to afford it. That helpless, heavy feeling. It’s not just about money. It’s about worth. It’s about opportunity. It’s about being told, directly or indirectly, that where you were born or how much your parents make might be more important than how hard you work or how smart you are.
So when I see a number like 129,000, I don’t see a statistic. I see faces. Bright-eyed 18-year-olds who probably just graduated, buzzing with dreams, refreshing their inboxes every five minutes to see if they've been approved. I see parents holding their breath, hoping this grant means their child won't have to drop out before they even begin.
This No Academic Fee Policy? It's not perfect. (Let’s be real, what policy ever is?) But it’s something. It's a sign that maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to understand that education should be a right, not a privilege. That talent isn’t reserved for the wealthy. That intelligence doesn’t come with a trust fund.
Now, I’m not gonna pretend this fixes everything. Grants can run dry. Applications can get lost. And there’s always someone who slips through the cracks. I still worry about the “what next?” part—how we support these students emotionally, mentally, and yes, financially, once they’re in. College isn’t just tuition. It’s books, housing, food, the occasional midnight coffee run during finals week. (Okay, maybe more than occasional.)
But for now, for today, I’m choosing to focus on this moment. On 129,000 people who dared to hope.
I might be wrong, but I think moments like this—where policy meets real human need—are worth celebrating. Even if we’re not quite there yet. Even if it's just a step.
So here’s what I’m wondering: What would happen if we truly believed in investing in people, not just in buildings or numbers or rankings? What would our world look like if 129,000 students became 1.29 million?
And what if—just what if—every single one of them actually got the chance to chase their dreams without carrying the weight of a price tag?
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