How scholarship cash eludes Dalit students
Gokul Vannan
Express News ServiceFirst Published : 14 Aug 2010 03:17:07 AM ISTLast
Updated : 14 Aug 2010 10:20:03 AM IST
CHENNAI: When S Perumal found that a post-matric scholarship he won
did not reach him, the Dalit student managed to mobilise funds through
his relatives and complete his plus-one in 2007-08.
The next year, he learned the money was pocketed his own teacher by
forging the signature of the boy's (late) father. ''That is when I
lost heart," the teenager from Athiyanthal says, adding that he found
no option then but to discontinue education.
Perumal's is just one of such stories Dalit students face in
Tiruvanamalai district, which has 9,000 Dalit students and 150
schools; 110 of them government-run.
The Dalit Liberation Movement, which stumbled upon the story through
an RTI application, learned that many teachers in Tiruvannamalai do
it.
S Karuppaiah, general secretary of the Madurai-based organisation,
says district authorities have themselves failed to pay the
scholarship to many students during the past two years.
A Chelladurai, another student who was cheated the same way, unveils
another layer to the story. "Students cannot raise this issue, because
if they do it they will be failed in the practicals."
Not surprisingly, a Class XII boy pleads anonymity when says he did
not receive his scholarship money. "My parents are daily-wagers. We
are struggling."
Deepa of Pavupattu village passed her Class XII exams last year
without obtaining her scholarship. "My mother borrowed money to meet
the expenses."
Recently, these students met Tiruvannamalai district collector M
Rajendran and filed a complaint. They also sent petitions to the Chief
Minister Cell and the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department, but have found
no action taken so far.
Karuppaiah says he even sent a petition to the National Commission for
Scheduled Caste on the issue, but that was directed to the district
Adi-Dravidar Welfare and Tribal Welfare office.
District authorities say it requires an additional sanction of Rs 4
crore to clear the scholarship backlog.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment