By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Aurangabad (Maharashtra): The present eligibility criteria of scoring at least 50% marks in the previous year’s examination to claim pre- and post-metric scholarship is discriminatory in nature against minority communities and should be lowered to 35% in line with schemes meant for students belonging to Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes, said a Maharashtra-based NGO.
Azad Yuva Brigade (AYB), an NGO which monitors and handles issues encountered by Muslim students, raised these points in a letter written to Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs. The NGO asked her to consider reducing the eligibility criteria of Pre and Post metric scholarship of Minorities to 50% scoring, saying it was restricting some of the candidates from the educationally-backward minority community in availing benefits of the scheme.
Pre and Post metric Scholarship Scheme is sponsored by the Central Government, with 100% central funding announced in 2006 for candidates of Minority communities and is implemented by the State Government/Union Territory administrations.
Both these schemes ask students to secure not less than 50% marks in the previous year examination setting it as eligibility criteria for obtaining scholarship. However, similar schemes meant for other backward classes have no such condition and students are only required to pass previous year examination to claim scholarship next year.
In its letter, the Brigade says so far both the schemes have proved very beneficial for minority community but “the condition of securing 50% in last year’s exam is proving hindrance for those students who are passed with less percentage”, and therefore in order to help these students continue their education, this condition should be removed.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net Mubin Ansari, President of AYB said, “Backwardness of Muslim community has been mentioned in various commissions and therefore it is not good to keep such condition of 50% markings from students. If schemes are meant to encourage Minority communities to increase share in education then all the passing students should be provided with scholarship so that no student leaves education in between. ”
In addition to this, the Brigade has requested Minority Ministry to allow all the scholarship applications of candidates from drought-hit Marathwada region even if their claims have a few shortcomings.
“We have observed that due to drought, farmers’ children are compelled to leave schooling and help the families in earning a livelihood. Therefore, we have requested the Ministry to clear their scholarship applications so that denial of their scholarship should not become a reason for their drop out from education”, Ansari said.