By TCN News,
Mumbai: This is the second year of centrally-funded Post-Matric Scholarship scheme for minority students in Maharashtra. Thanks to lethargic attitude of officials, less than half of the target was achieved last year. This year the target itself has been halved rather than ensuring accountability and proper advertisement.
The Central Government’s Post-Matric Scholarship scheme, one of three mega minority scholarship schemes being run in the country, is for minority students studying in junior, degree, and PG classes (non professional).
In 2009-2010, only 37% of the target was achieved as less than 25000 scholarships were sanctioned out of the targeted 64,400. Reasons were many: unawareness, complicated procedure, biased officials, and problems in opening bank accounts. But instead of dealing with these issues the target this year has been almost halved with 36675 units of scholarships under this scheme for 2010-2011.
Reasons of poor implementation in Maharashtra
1) No written instructions to college principals. No official notice to students for submission of their scholarship forms. (In Mumbai several hundred students submitted their forms at an NGO Mumbai Catholic Sabha but officials have denied accepting those forms saying they should be submitted at concerned colleges only).
2) Lack of co-ordination among junior and senior colleges and ITI institutes since these three come under three different directorates of educations in Maharashtra.
3) Non-seriousness, irresponsible, non- cooperative behaviour by the authorities and concerned college staff, and lack of effective implementation mechanism at college/university level.
4) Students are unaware /have misconceptions about income declaration and community declarations as college staff didn’t guide them properly. (Rs 10 bond paper is not available, therefore a revenue stamp is to be pasted and signed by the parent. But still students are making affidavit by spending hundreds of rupees).
5) Opening no frill accounts at Bank of Maharashtra with whom state government has MoU, is a major problem for the minority students. Bank staff didn’t provide application forms. Besides, application form consists of 9-10 pages while State Bank of Hyderabad provides single page form to SC/ST students. In bank, introducer is required. Students find it difficult to have signature of introducer.
But there are some other major problems in the way of the scheme becoming a complete success in the state. Dr M A Baseer, Member, Education Committee, Jamaat-e-Islami Maharashtra, has sent three memorandums to chief minister pointing out the hurdles.
Appeal to CM, PM
Dr Baseer says the eligibility criteria for Post-Matrict Scholarship scheme are unjust. For example, the minimum 50% marks in previous exam is not right as this is not a condition for students of SCs/STs or EBCs to get their scholarships. Besides, the upper annual income limit for parents in minority scholarship case is Rs 2 lakh while for OBCs it is Rs 4.5 lakh, points out Dr Baseer.
Moreover, the scheme is not being properly advertised. The advertisement was published in some mainstream newspapers, not in local/regional or Urdu papers.
Lack of awareness in masses/target group is a major issue. Besides, there is a negative opinion among minority students. They think it useless to submit forms as they think they won’t get scholarship, and they have proof. For Pre-Matric Scholarship, 98 thosand applications were submitted but just 1800 students were awarded scholarships in a particular district. Last year, out of more than 15 lakh Pre-Matric Scholarship applications received, just 2.2 lakh students got scholarships and among them in most schools amount is not disbursed. That negative effect is prevalent at college level, says Dr Baseer.
The most important reason of poor implementation of the scheme, Dr Baseer points out, is that Maharashtra doesn’t have minority welfare directorate and its officers at local or district levels to monitor the implementation of different welfare schemes. Such directorates and their complete network up to district/taluka level is present in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu etc.
“Our minister janab Arif Naseem khan has declared last year to appoint minority welfare officers at district level on an honorary basis @ Rs 5000/-pm (a retired person). It is not implemented yet,” he informs. Even if it is implemented who will listen to a retired officer when even minority development ministry has no say in such welfare schemes,” he asks.
The Post-Matric Scholarship scheme is implemented by Director, Higher Education who works under Dept of Higher and Technical Education. Minority Development Dept didn’t have any control upon it.
There is also lack of NGOs and social welfare organisations in this field. SIO is doing its bid. “Some other individuals/groups must unite and work in an organised manner to resolve policy-level and implementation-level issues by well coordinating with govt officials.
As per schedule 16th August was the last date of submission of Post-Matric forms but now the date has been extended up to 31st August.
Dr Baseer has sent memorandums to chief minister and prime minister besides other concerned officials for elimination of difficulties/hurdles in scholarship schemes for minorities sponsored by central govt and state govt.
“We need to build up pressure on the ruling govt and its officials for optimum implementation of such welfare schemes,” he urges.