Ludhiana students avoid availing scholarships due to complex procedure
A number of students who applied for Scheduled Caste (SC) scholarships during the time they attended the government schools, are now either working professionals or are married and have still not received their rightful amount
Despite a number of pre-matric and post-matric scholarships available for the students of government schools, many of them are reluctant to avail the same due to complex and rigid procedure involved.
A number of students who applied for Scheduled Caste (SC) scholarships during the time they attended the government schools, are now either working professionals or are married and have still not received their rightful amount.
Teachers also mentioned that due to hectic procedure to apply for these scholarships, many parents deny availing the same. “There are a number of documents required, along with income certificates, for which the parents are required to visit different government offices, due to which many of them give this in undertaking that they are not interested to avail the scholarship, which actually could be of a great benefit for the students from underprivileged background,” said a school head, requesting anonymity.
Manisha, former student of Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, applied for the scholarship scheme while in Class 12. “She is now married and it has been six years since she applied and we have not received a penny,” told her mother, who works as a house help.
A student of SCD Government College, who completed his schooling from a government school in the city, said, “Me and my brother applied for the scholarship scheme when we were in Class 6 and even after that, we applied for various pre-matric and post-matric scholarships too and we never got to know the status of the amount till date.”
Principal of Government School, Lalton Kalan, Pradeep Kumar informed that various scholarships include BR Ambedkar National Scholarship for which the students from Class 9 onwards apply on the national portal, Hargobind Khurana Scholarship, which is a state-funded scholarship and is only for the students of Class 10 scoring more than 80% and receive ₹2,500 per month, post-matric scholarship for SC students of Class 11 and 12, as per which they receive ₹230 per month, post-matric scholarship for SC girls of Class 11 and 12, as per which they receive ₹50 per month, among others.
When approached, the district education officer (secondary) Dimple Madaan remarked, “Generally, the accounts get non operative and the students and parents are unaware of the same, so the amount is not credited into those accounts. A few times, the amount gets delayed too. I cannot comment on the previous years’ students but from now on, the payment would be included in our budget and we would allocate it timely.”
