THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) has decided to grant differently abled students three per cent reservation to get admission for UG courses. Further, their scholarship has been increased by 25 per cent.
KSHEC vice-chairman Rajan Gurukkal said in a release it had introduced the scholarship 10 years ago to ensure nobody is deprived of education due to lack of financial support. The scheme also aims to encourage students to study of humanities and basic sciences.
For UG course first semester, the scholarship amount will be Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 for general and differently-abled categories respectively. It will be higher in the second and third years.
KSHEC, constituted in 2007, has been seeking to promote a holistic view of higher education in order to create well-trained but socially sensitive citizens. Funds to the tune of Rs 100 crore, generated through public contributions and a matching government grant, will be made available for the scheme.
Every year, a total of 100 first-year students will be given scholarships based on the marks obtained in Plus-Two or equivalent courses. Only the students of government, aided colleges, and non-professional courses under the university departments are eligible. Differently Abled Employees Federation of India state president P Ramachandran said “The KSHEC should increase the reservation in scholarship from three to five per cent.”
Support for the disabled
25% increase has been made in the scholarship for differently-abled students. Rs15,000 is the amount the UG course students will get in the first year. Rs100-cr fund to be made available to improve higher education in the state.