KOZHIKODE: "I would not have come to Kochi to study BSc but for Adishakthi admission helpdesk. Perhaps, I would have discontinued my education after Plus-Two but for the timely intervention of the helpdesk," says Princy V, a second-year Botany degree student at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam.
Princy and her younger sister, Ajitha M, who studies at a government college in Aluva, are from Attappadi in Palakkad and both carried their dream of continuing the education with the staunch support of the helpdesk.
The admission helpdesk of Wayanad-based Adishakthi Summer School (ASS) had helped a whopping 250 students from the vulnerable ST communities to secure admission for higher education in 2020-21. The students from across the state had secured seats in various PG, UG, polytechnic, law and nursing courses. They include those from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) such as Kattunayaka, Kadar and Kurumba from Wayanad, Thrissur and Attappadi, respectively.
The ASS, which functions under Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGMS), is a collective of ST and SC students and youth who have initiated various projects related to education and employment.
"A majority of the students are from Wayanad -- 150. Among them, around 70 are from the most vulnerable Paniya community. Students from Kurumba, Muduga (Attappadi), Kadar (Thrissur), Vedar, Malavedar (South Kerala), and Muthuvan, Mannan and Hill Pulaya (Idukki) are also there. A few students hail from the SC community. Before the helpdesk, the situation was such that the ST students would not dare to step out of their district and seek admission. In their home districts, there will be very few seats, causing the discontinuation of education," said Mary Lydia K, Adishakthi admission helpdesk state volunteer and a PhD scholar.
The helpdesk was established three years ago to help and guide the students when the admission process largely shifted online. "The ASS had organised a summer camp in Ernakulam in 2019 through which 25 students got admission under the SC/ST special allotment process. This acted as a motivation for setting up a full-fledged helpdesk," elaborated Lydia.
According to M Geethanandan, state coordinator of AGMS, the helpdesk will have a more organised form in the coming years. "Two students had even attended entrance examinations of Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi universities. "The ST students have many talents and they had taken up new courses such as sound engineering, fitness management, animation and visual effects." If not for such a helpdesk, most of the students would have dropped out," he told TNIE. So far, 1,000 students have been helped to pursue higher education through the helpdesk.
ASS runs three hostels in Ernakulam
The ASS is running three hostels in Ernakulam, providing accommodation to 60 ST students. ""There are no sufficient number of post-matric hostels of the state government nearby to meet the demand." The admission to hostels was cut short due to Covid. Hence, we are running hostels on a shoestring budget, often with the help of Good Samaritans. The government grant to a SC/ST student is non-sufficient to pay the rent and spent for food in a metro city like Kochi," says Rajani P V, vice-chairperson, ASS.
As many as 100 community volunteers plus 150 volunteers -- from NSS units in various colleges, social work students and students from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) -- had worked round the clock for the admission helpdesk.