SC, ST students seek Governor’s intervention in resolving grievances on educational assistances
Students representing Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities and various social movements have petitioned Governor Arif Mohammed Khan seeking his intervention in getting long-pending e-grants and other educational assistance disbursed.
The aggrieved section, led by social activist M. Geethanandan, which conducted protests in front of the Secretariat and the Raj Bhavan recently, has appealed to the Governor to issue directions to the Union government to cancel the upper income limit of ₹2.5 lakh to avail Post-Matric scholarship.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had issued the guideline for Post-Matric scholarship to SC students for the period of 2020-21 to 2025-26.
Terming the condition “unconstitutional and discriminatory”, the petitioners feared it could push several students from the ambit of higher education. A major section of SC students could be excluded from the scheme by way of the upper income limit.
Besides, the changes carried out by the Centre as part of New Education Policy 2020, particularly in the conduct of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, are expected to hike fees and other expenses. Such a scenario would create new challenges for SC and ST students. In the absence of remedial measures, the drop-out rate will further increase among such sections, they cautioned.
The petition also flagged the delay of Post Matric Scholarships for over two years in the State due to the non-compliance of the Centre’s guidelines. They also accused the State government of diverting SC development funds for other purposes. Academic allowances like hostel allowances, they added, are meagre and require considerable hikes to meet current living expenses.
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