Pre-matric scholarship scheme to cover Class 9, 10 students only: Government

Justifying its decision, the government underlined that the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 makes it obligatory for the government to provide free and compulsory elementary education (classes I to VIII) to each and every child.

Centre has limited its pre-matric scholarship scheme meant for backward and minority communities to students of Class 9 and 10. The government stated that RTE covers compulsory education up to Class 8 for all students. Earlier, the pre-matric scholarship used to cover education for Classes 1 to 8 also belonging to SC, ST, OBC and minority communities.

Justifying its decision, the government underlined that the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 makes it obligatory for the government to provide free and compulsory elementary education (classes I to VIII) to each and every child.

"Accordingly only students studying in classes IX and X are covered under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Likewise from 2022-23, the coverage under the pre-matric scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs shall also be for classes IX and X only," the notice said.

The government has also asked the Institute Nodal Officer (INO)/District Nodal Officer (DNO)/State Nodal Officer (SNO) to verify the applications only for classes IX and X under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Calling it a conspiracy, political parties has condemned the decision. Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said, for decades, children from SC/ST backgrounds have been getting scholarships from classes 1 to 8 but the government from 2022-23 has stopped the scholarship which is a "conspiracy" against the poor.

"The BJP has been continuously doing such things for the past 8 years whether it was cutting the budget of SC/ST/OBC and minorities or it was about atrocities against them or ending their welfare schemes and now this. We do not accept this. We will run a movement against it. Immediately take back this decision," he said.

BSP leader Kunwar Danish Ali claimed that the government has found a new way to keep these poor children away from education by stopping the scholarship given to minority students (Class 1-8). "Yes, don't forget that educated children take the country forward irrespective of the community they belong to," Ali tweeted.

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