Education is the key to removing poverty and backwardness. Our State has taken big strides for expansion of education among the youth in urban as well as in rural areas. Policy planners know that India lives in villages and the rural people are lagging behind in education. It is to be admitted that education is a pyramidal structure especially in modern times when the limits of education, science and technology have reached new heights. If there is urge in our students to attain higher education and seek excellence in technical and scientific branches of education, it shows that the society is on the move. But the fact is that all deserving students do not get an opportunity of acquiring higher education either because they have no means at their disposal or that they are not properly guided at the right stage.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has recently announced a scholarship scheme for the deserving students of the State who intend to join any educational institution in the country after passing XII class. It has announced 5,000 scholarships for the students of the State for three categories, namely general degree, engineering and medical education. Of the total scholarships, 4500 would go to general degree segment and the rest 500 scholarships would be equally distributed between engineering and medical education. Minimum criterion of eligibility is that the students should have passed XII class either through the School Board of Examination or the Central Higher Secondary Board of Examination. The conditions for obtaining a scholarship under this scheme are very liberal which students from J&K can easily fulfill.
This is a commendable decision of the Ministry of HRD in the context of J&K State. Many of our youth become dropouts either at the X Class or at XII Class. The reason is simple. Parents cannot afford to send their wards out of the State to join some good professional or non-professional institute for further studies. They have little hope to find a job within the four walls of the valley. Retired educationists in our State have recommended that entire educational systematically needs thorough shake up. Young children of school-going age need proper guidance so that they do not become a victim of uncertainty. Putting them to financial hardships would also means loss to the country as a whole.
While appreciating the decision of the Government to provide assistance by way of tuition fee and other support to meet incidental and hostel charges, we are hopeful that the Government will not confine selection of students to only one or the other district or block. Selection of students recommended for enrolment in a public or private affiliated institute has to be opened for all districts of the State. Additionally, the process of selection of students who can be considered under rules for award of scholarship, has to be transparent and without blemish. Government shall have to ensure that. HRD Ministry has been frugal in giving substantial amount to students by way of assistance to their educational career. It eloquently speaks that the Union Government wants the school going students should not be denied the opportunity of trying their luck in succeeding to obtain admission in professional and medical colleges.
Obviously, the selecting body will have to take into account the bad, backward and border segments of the State and give the youth of these areas including the displaced youth their fair share of seats in all professional institutes that enjoy affiliation to AICTE. The amount of scholarship per annum in each case of general degree seekers and those pursuing engineering or medical career is very reasonable.
We are convinced that this generous decision of the HRD Ministry will help many deserving and meritorious students of the State to receive higher and professional education and thus a strong cadre will be prepared in the State to take over the administration in due course of time. The students and their parents should be highly thankful to the Union Ministry of HRD who has conceived and implemented the scheme of scholarship. It is pragmatic approach to development of the youth of the State. All efforts have to be made to take the State out of backwardness.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel