CHENNAI: The tribal welfare department will soon scale up support for Class 12 students studying in its schools to help them enter higher education and continue to support them after they join colleges. Apart from guiding students in choosing courses and preparing for entrance examinations to secure admission to premier institutions, the department will also provide mentoring support after admission, including additional coaching for first-year students in core subjects.
Over 1,800 Class 12 students study in 28 Government Tribal Residential Schools and eight Eklavya Model Residential Schools across TN. In the past two years, many students from tribal residential schools have made it to top institutions.
However, officials said tribal students continue to face unique challenges that limit their entry into higher education, including reluctance among parents to send their wards far to pursue higher education as well as the lack of sustained academic and emotional support after admission.
While the department has already appointed a firm to coach students for entrance exams such as JEE, NEET, CUET and CLAT, it has now decided to engage another agency to provide end-to-end admission support and post-admission handholding. The support will focus on helping students cope with challenges such as a shift in the medium of instruction and increased academic rigour in premier institutions. “Through this initiative, we aim to address issues faced by tribal students in a structured manner. A firm will be appointed to handle admission guidance and counsel parents of existing Class 12 students. They will also appoint mentors to support over 150 students from the tribal welfare schools who have joined in premier educational institutions since 2024-25,” said a department official.
Under this, the directorate will categorise students preparing for competitive entrance exams based on their academic performance, interests and disciplines. Students will be guided through eligibility criteria, registration procedures and exam timelines. As part of the transition support after admission to higher education institutions, students will receive assistance in accessing hostels, scholarships, and welfare scheme benefits to ensure a smooth transition into the new environment. The programme will also include pre-college induction, along with bilingual (Tamil-English) coaching in core first-year subjects.