Date:13/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/13/stories/2007061312120100.htm

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Free education for 10 SSLC toppers

R. Krishnamoorthy

Government fulfils its promise in Budget to SC/ST students

ENCOURAGEMENT: Officials holding a counselling session with the top scorers in Tiruchi on Tuesday. — Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

TIRUCHI: The State Government has fulfilled the promise it made in the budget to provide quality higher secondary education free of cost to 10 top-ranking SC/ST students in each of the 30 revenue districts.

Every year, the Government will spend Rs.28,000 towards hostel fee for each high-scoring student in addition to the annual scholarship of Rs.8,100 he/she is entitled to. Educationists say this unique measure will serve as a perennial motivation for SC students to perform well.

These students would be admitted to any front-ranking school of their choice anywhere in the State, the Chief Educational Officer, R. Muthukrishnan, said.

In Tiruchi district, the authorities are on the verge of completing the process of admission for 10 students.

The topper among SC/ST students in the district, R. Aruna of Adi Dravida Welfare Higher Secondary School, Periyamilaguparai, has been admitted to S.R.V. Higher Secondary School at Rasipuram in Namakkal district. Another student of the same school, Maariraj, who scored 435 marks, was also admitted to S.R.V. Higher Secondary School.

Rasipuram school

The authorities of the Rasipuram school, which holds the distinction of sending the highest number of students to engineering and medical courses in the State, had assured to educate the SC/ST children within the amount provided by the Government, officials said, adding that the process of admission for the rest of the students in the district would be completed by Wednesday, based on Tuesday's counselling.