CHENNAI: The tribal welfare department is in the process of tracing students who either failed or were absent for class 10 and 12 examinations this year, in order to enrol them in Institutes of Industrial Training (ITIs) under the Nan Mudhalvan scheme. The initiative targets around 500 students, who will also receive additional employment training to help secure jobs after completing their course.
According to officials, 84 students were absent and 65 failed in the class 12 exam. For class 10, the numbers are 210 and 160 respectively. “Six ITIs are funded by the tribal welfare department. These are located in districts with significant tribal population like Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Salem and Namakkal. All of them are residential institutions. We plan to counsel these students and enrol them in the institutes,” said an official.
He added the government would pay the entire fees for these students and provide a monthly stipend to encourage them continue their studies. If students enrolled in ITIs pass their supplementary examinations, the department will also support those who passed class 10 to join class 11 and those who passed class 12 to enrol in colleges of their choice. The minimum qualification to join institute of industrial training is class 8.
Additionally, the department, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, is implementing the Mission for Employment of Tribal Youth. The mission aims to train over 2,000 tribal youth to enhance their employability. As part of the programme, youth from tribal areas were taken to Bengaluru for training and subsequently placed in private companies. After completing their courses, students from the polytechnic colleges will be directed to the mission to ensure they get employed easily.
“The department will support these throughout the course until they secure a job. Hundreds of seats in these ITIs for tribal students remain vacant every year. This is an attempt to help the students and also fill them,” officials said.
EDU IN tribal belt
Funded by tribal welfare department, the six ITIs are located in districts with significant tribal population like Nilgiris, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai and Salem