Promoting excellence in higher education
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The State Higher Education Scholarship Scheme started by the State Higher Education Council would bring 1,000 general scholarships to regular students who are pursuing various graduate and postgraduate courses in government and aided colleges in the State this year. G. KRISHNAKUMAR outlines the new initiative.
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The State Higher Education Council has stepped up its efforts to evolve schemes for providing equitable opportunities in higher education. Realising that the twin issues of access and excellence could be addressed effectively by attracting and retaining talented students in academic streams like Humanities, social sciences and sciences, the council had kick-started the State Higher Education Scholarship Scheme on January 3, 2010.
The objective of the scheme is to institute attractive merit-cum-means scholarships for needy students. As part of this mission, nearly 1,000 general scholarships would be given to regular students who are pursuing various courses in science, social science, business studies and Humanities subjects for their graduate and postgraduate degrees in government or aided colleges or in departments/ institutions under the universities in the State in 2010-11.
Depending on the funds made available through endowments, the scholarships would be extended to include other disciplines and students pursuing various courses outside the State.
The number of scholarships for each university would depend on the student strength in first degree aided courses in science, Humanities, social science and business studies in the government/ aided colleges/ departments under each university.
It will be calculated on the basis of the sanctioned strength for each stream in all government/ aided arts and science colleges and university departments in the previous year.
Explaining that the scholarships would be given for a five-year period starting with first-degree and ending with final year postgraduate education, Thomas Joseph, Member Secretary of the council, said the quantum of annual scholarship would be substantially high to attract and retain talented students in the academic stream for at least five years. The annual scholarship given to a student would be increased incrementally from Rs.12,000 to Rs.60,000 as he/she moves from the first year degree course to the final year postgraduate course, he said.
The Council will select the scholars in each university on the basis of their total marks/overall grade in the qualifying examination, considered stream wise. Wherever there is a tie, it shall be resolved by taking into account the total marks/ CGPA of the qualifying examination in the first instance and that of the SSLC examination subsequently. In case further distinction is required, a decision shall be taken by draw of lots.
Pointing out that the procedures followed from the submission of application form to the disbursal of scholarships would be simple, transparent and prompt, Prof. Joseph said that the application for scholarship should be submitted online by the student concerned in the format available in the website of the Higher Education Council (www.kshec.kerala.gov.in).
Applicants have to produce the testimonials in original to the principal of the college in which they pursue their course along with a print-out of the filled-in application form.
Students belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities should produce a certificate of such status from a competent authority to the principal. Physically-handicapped students and those belonging to Below Poverty Line families should do the same.
The colleges will collaborate with the council in processing the application forms to ensure accuracy and speed in the delivery of scholarships. The principals will be responsible for administering the scholarships at the college level. They will certify the authenticity of the claims made by the applicants by verifying original documents and submit to the council reports of such verification, as and when required.
The principals will be responsible for monitoring the progress of the scholars and submitting such progress reports to the council, as and when required.
All colleges and principals will be provided with unique identification codes to facilitate online administration of the scholarship scheme. Each /mnbvcxzcollege shall designate a nodal officer for the implementation of the scheme who will guide the students in all matters relating to the scholarship.
The scholarships would be awarded from the year 2010-11, by utilising the annual interest on the corpus fund collected by the council and grant-in-aid provided by the government. The funds required for the scheme would be raised through a system of public-private partnership. The council would receive two types of funds from the general public that include general funds and endowment funds. Contributions received under the general fund will be credited to the corpus of Rs.100 crore. Endowments worth Rs.5 lakh, Rs.15 lakh and Rs.25 lakh may be made, making provision for using a part of the interest for awarding scholarships and merging the unutilised interest with the corpus of the endowment every year, so that the corpus could continually grow and make provision for upward revision of the amount of scholarship every five years.
Endowments worth Rs.5 lakh would be utilised for awarding one scholarship for five years, every five years. Endowments worth Rs.15 lakh would be utilised for awarding one scholarship for five years every year. Endowment worth Rs.25 lakh would be utilised to fund advanced studies, within and outside the country.
No student will be awarded scholarship unless he/she fulfills minimum criteria for the award of scholarship. The required minimum percentage of marks for scholarships is ST (pass); SC for science subjects (45 per cent); SC for all other subjects (40 per cent); general category – science (50 per cent); and general category – others (45 per cent)
Scholarships under this scheme will not be awarded to a student who receives any other scholarship/ stipend other than fee concession for a course of study. However, students belonging to SC/ST category will be eligible for scholarship in addition to the lump sum grant given by the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe Development Departments. The mere eligibility for award of scholarships does not confer on any candidate the right to receive the scholarship. Since the number of scholarships is limited, the award will be made on the basis of merit in each category in accordance with criteria laid down by the council. It will distribute the scholarships directly to the students through their bank accounts. Where the beneficiary is a physically-challenged person, the scholarship amount would be 25 per cent more than the usual amount to take care of their special needs. Only persons with 40 per cent disability or more would be considered as physically-challenged for the purpose of the award of the scholarship.
The scholarships in each stream shall be distributed among the following categories: 10 per cent for SC/ST students; 3 per cent for physically-challenged students; 37 per cent for students belonging to BPL families (excluding SC/ST/ physically-challenged categories) and 50 per cent for the students in general category. If adequate number of awardees is not available in the SC/ST/physically-challenged category, the surplus will be added to BPL category and if adequate numbers are not available in such category, the surplus will be added to general category. The scholarships under this scheme are initially sanctioned for one year only, but it is renewable for the next four years subject. Each scholar will have to submit application for renewal of the scholarship online. Website: www.kshec.kerala.gov.in.
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