Special focus on tribal students' education in J&K; 20 new hostels, residential schools and more

In a meeting, Jammu and Kashmir's Tribal Affairs Department finalised various proposals for the benefit of the tribal community, including 20 new hostels with an intake capacity of 3,000 tribal students. This is going to start operating from the current financial year, said an official of the department.

The official mentioned that under the direction of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the administration has initiated a process for special projects focusing on tribal students' education. The projects include the establishment of 20 new hostels, model residential schools and a special scholarship scheme for students among other key sectors, as stated in a report by PTI.

He added that Tribal Affairs Department Secretary, Shahid Iqbal Choudary, chaired the union territory level meeting which approved the establishment of twenty new hostels with an intake capacity of 3,000 students starting in the current financial year. It was mentioned in the meeting that the respective district administration will be giving the state land for setting up new hostels.

“The step is aimed at providing quality residential facilities to tribal students enrolled in colleagues and other institutes of higher secondary education. The government intends to establish 50 new hostels over the next two years for tribal students,” the official said.

The new scheme, which was mentioned in the committees' report will offer incremental scholarships up to Rs 2,400, replacing the existing slab of Rs 450 for boys and Rs 675 for girls, the official informed. He added that the new scheme will benefit more than 34,000 students in 1,200 seasonal educational centres promoting education among tribal students. “Additional support related to uniforms, school bags, sports material and teaching material was also discussed,” the official said.

Although 10 new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) have also been recommended, 6 such schools are being made operational this May, including two in Rajouri and one each in Anantnag, Kulgam, Bandipora and Poonch. District EMRS committee Anantnag said that districts have also been asked to provide land for the establishment of new EMRS. Anantnag has operationalised the boarding school while other districts are in their final stages.

Secretary, Tribal Affairs Department, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, addressing the meeting, directed officers to coordinate effectively with district administration and sectoral departments to ensure the timely launch of new projects and on the other hand, proper implementation of the ongoing educational projects as well, including smart schools.

For inclusive planning and ensuring convergence, the secretary directed the involvement of Panchayat Raj institutions at the local level. The meeting deliberated upon various educational support initiatives to promote education at the primary level in tribal areas and explained the facilities base to ensure the best opportunities for tribal students, the official said.