Entrance coaching scheme goes awry

KOCHI: “Vision 2013”, a scheme launched to provide free entrance coaching to Scheduled Caste students across the state is going awry due to lack of proper management.  Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes A P Anil Kumar, while inaugurating the scheme, had said that  every possible step will be taken to implement the scheme in a time-bound manner.  However, now the scheme has gone awry after the state government failed to formulate a fixed strategy on how to allocate the funds.As per the scheme that would provide an amount of Rs 20,000, the students belonging to the Scheduled Caste category can join any entrance coaching centre in the state, for which the government will bear the expenses.Students with B+ grade in all science subjects can apply for getting benefits under the scheme.  However, uncertainty still persists as the state government is yet to decide on how to allot these funds, whether to give it to the student or to the institution.“The confusion has to be settled first. A concrete decision in this regard should have eliminated all bottlenecks the department is currently facing,” said a source with the Scheduled Caste Department.Director in-Charge, Schedule Caste Development, V R Joshi confirmed that there were some initial hassles regarding the allotment of the fund. “We could not give it to the institutions as there were high chances of corruption,” he said. However, he could not come up with a definite answer regarding the allotment of funds.Lack of awareness about the project is yet another issue. The government has done nothing to make people aware of the project. “Compared to other districts, Ernakulam has got maximum response as the project was launched in Kochi. But even here too, it could only bring 22 students in the purview of the project. The response was little in the other districts,” sources said.“This is an age of competition and no Scheduled Caste student should lag behind for want of proper education. If this programme is implemented  properly, it will be a boon for the Scheduled Caste students who cannot pursue higher studies because of their financial backwardness. This will really help in getting them professional jobs,” said K Padmarajan, District Development Officer for Scheduled Castes, Kochi.