SALEM: Salem district has achieved a higher education enrolment rate of 97.28% among students who passed Class XII in 2025-26, up from 84% in the previous academic year - an increase of more than 13%.
The achievement follows a coordinated initiative involving student tracking, home visits, career guidance and financial assistance to help students secure college admissions.
The initiative, under the theme 'Perithinum Perithu Kel' of TamilNadu government's 'Kaloori Kanavu' programme, was coordinated through an Education Control Room established at the Collectorate on May 19, 2026. Led by Collector K Elambahavath, the control room brought together around 50 personnel, including teachers, headmasters and other staff, to monitor students' progress and help them pursue higher education.
The team identified 35,334 students who passed 12th grade from 316 government, government-aided and private higher secondary schools and categorised them for targeted outreach. The groups included students from SC/SCA and ST communities,Tamil-medium students,tribal students, differently-abled students, children without parental support and those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Of the total, 34,374 students have enrolled in higher education. The control room followed up with students who had not secured admission,making repeated calls to students and parents and helping them overcome difficulties related to certificates, applications, college selection and fees.
When students, particularly those in remote tribal villages, could not be reached by phone, teachers and officials, including revenue department officials and district child protection personnel,visited their homes.Of 124 students initially identified as unwilling to pursue higher education, 91 were enrolled following counselling and follow-up.
Direct admission camps were held at five locations -two in Salem city and one each in Attur, Konganapuram and Mecheri -helping 1,149 students secure admission with on-the-spot assistance.
Career guidance programmes and engineering counselling were also conducted, while 2,330 students were invited to the Collectorate for guidance and interaction with the Collector.
Through targeted outreach, 4,795 students from SC/SCA communities, 761 from ST communities, 340 differently abled students, 7,893 Tamil-medium students and 6,091 students eligible under the 7.5% reservation for government-school students enrolled in higher education. Of 131 students without parental support, 126 secured admission.
The control room also helped students facing documentation problems, including those who struggled to retrieve original certificates submitted to colleges after being promised lower fees. Officials assisted them in recovering their documents and finding suitable alternatives.
To address financial barriers, a district education fund was created with contributions from educational organisations, NGOs and associations of government employees.
Around Rs 15.68 lakh was mobilised for the current year, while Rs 24.71 lakh has been paid towards fees for 110 students with support from partner organisations.
C Nikitha, a former student of Pallapatti Government Higher Secondary School, secured admission to an engineering course at a university in Ariyanur with the control room's help after facing difficulties retrieving certificates submitted to another college.
She also received financial assistance. "I had submitted my certificates to another college but faced difficulties retrieving them. The Education Control Room helped me get them back, secure admission to an engineering course at a university in Ariyanur and obtain financial assistance," Nikitha said.
The initiative also covered students from Eklavya Model Residential Schools. A teacher from one such school said staff made special efforts to reach students in remote tribal villages. "All 62 students who passed Class XII from our school have enrolled in higher education," the teacher said.Collector K Elambahavath said the district's achievement reflected the efforts to identify students, address their difficulties and help them secure admission. "Salem has achieved a higher education enrolment rate of 97.28%, compared with the national gross enrolment ratio of around 30% and Tamil Nadu's 70%," he said.
As of the latest assessment, 960 students are yet to be admitted or yet to complete enrolment, and follow-up efforts are under way.
