BENGALURU: Aiming to reduce the dropout rate after Classes 9 and 10, the Karnataka unit of Students Islamic Oragnisation (SIO) has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to introduce scholarships for minority students and also increase the eligibility limit of household income.
Mohammed Hayyan, the state secretary of the SIO, said, “We have sought an increase in both the income eligibility limit, which is currently Rs 2 lakh, and the scholarship amount per beneficiary. The state must also introduce scholarships for Class 9 and 10 students, who have long been excluded from the benefit.
This will help reduce school dropouts in the community. The government must also increase the PhD fellowship amount from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 to enable research scholars to focus on academics without worrying about financial crisis.”
The other recommendations of the SIO included increasing incentives for B.Ed and D.Ed candidates, extending Vidyasiri scholarships to students deprived of hostel facilities and ensuring that ARIVU loans under the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation are interest-free, with eligibility extended to students of commerce and arts streams, too.