KOCHI: The National Students Union of India's (NSUI) Lakshadweep State committee has set up helplines for Lakshadweep students studying in Kerala's colleges.

The helplines, available in almost all districts in Kerala, is meant to assist students in all the problems they face on arriving on the mainland, Mohammed Iqbal, publicity chairman of the NSUI, told The Hindu. He pointed out that there were a large number of islanders studying in Kerala's colleges. In many Government colleges, there was a Lakshwadweep quota.

The students, who are not exposed to the outside world beyond the Lakshadweep islands, are often cheated by unscrupulous people. Mr. Iqbal said the big problem they face on arriving on the mainland was figuring out which colleges they were allotted to. The next was finding accommodation, particularly for girls.

He said that one-and-a-half-dozen mobile phones would function as helplines across the State 24 hours a day. The students in distress could call one of these numbers and the NSUI activists would provide whatever help they could. Some of the helpline numbers are: 98955-90134, 98955-48202 (Ernakulam district); 94468-74844, 98954-98898 (Kozhikode); and, 94461-49700, 9895300426.

Mr. Iqbal said the NSUI had urged the Lakshadweep Administration, in view of the transport bottlenecks, to set aside a quota of seats for students during Onam, Christmas and other festivals on the ships shuttling between the mainland and the islands. Students had a tough time getting tickets to go home to the islands during long vacations because of shortage of accommodation on the ships.

The organisation had also urged the Union Government and the Lakshadweep Administration to start LKG and UKG classes in all the schools on the islands. As of now, Mr. Iqbal said, LKG and UKG were available only at the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Kavaratti.

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