NEW DELHI: Following the tepid response to Central government sponsored scholarship schemes for minority students; the education department of the Delhi government has directed the head of all aided, private, and government schools, including institutions being run by municipal agencies and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), to guide and encourage eligible beneficiaries to apply for the monetary grant.
Under the schemes — meritorious students at pre or postmatric level, who have secured not less than 50 per cent belonging to minority communities — are provided financial assistance — admission or tuition fee and maintenance allowance.
The objective is to persuade parents to send their children to school. The department has also asked the deputy directors (education) of all districts to expedite the application verification process carried out.
“There is a need to guide the students so that the eligible students can apply for the scholarship schemes in time. Head of Schools (HoSs) shall ensure that the information for application for these scholarship schemes should reach the children while taking online classes so that no eligible minority student is left out for getting the benefit of the scheme,” said a recent circular issued by CK Dutta, joint director (planning) of the education department.
According to the status report, 1,312 fresh applications (post -matric scholarship scheme) were received until September 30. Only three of them could be verified and 1,218 are pending for verification at the school level.
For renewal (post -matric scholarship scheme), 1,349 students applied till September 30 and only 98 were renewed. Similarly, the schools in different districts received 2,848 fresh applications for pre-matric scholarship scheme and only nine have been confirmed so far.
Total 2,692 are to be verified by the schools.
The schools have only renewed 243 applications ( prematric scholarship scheme) while 4085 applications were submitted seeking renewal of the scheme till September 30.
Senior officials and teachers attributed the lukewarm response to scholarship programmes to coronavirus pandemic and similar scheme for minority students being run by the state government.
“The scheme launched by the state government is slightly better as it requires fewer formalities and threshold for family income — one of the eligibility conditions — is higher than that fixed by the Central government. Therefore students apply in large numbers under the state government scheme. Secondly, because of online classes, teachers couldn’t sensitised students about the scheme suitably, said an official.
Only three verified out of 1,312 fresh applications
According to the status report, 1,312 fresh applications (postmatric scholarship scheme) were received until September 30. Only three of them could be verified and 1,218 are pending for verification at the school level. For renewal (post-matric scholarship scheme) , 1,349 students applied till September 30 and only 98 were renewed.