CM Scholarship Scheme for GER Enhancement in Punjab – Times of India

Recently, the Punjab government has approved the implementation of CM Scholarship Scheme for students pursuing higher studies in government colleges in the state. The amount of scholarship will depend on the percentage of marks secured by the students. The scheme will cost Rs 36.05 crore annually in the exchequer.

Speaking to Education Times, Arvind, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, said, “Implementation of CM Scholarship Scheme by Punjab Government will definitely improve Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in government colleges in the state. Unfortunately, our society is organized in such a large number of people. Still cannot pursue higher education due to extra high fees. Scholarships have to take into account the financial status of the students’ family and their academic performance. Also, there is a serious division between urban-rural enrollment in the state. , The scholarship scheme will be beneficial for students coming from rural Punjab.

In the last few years, enrollment in government colleges in the state has declined due to many reasons like lack of jobs and migration. Added to this, there are no teachers in government colleges as regular teachers have not been recruited for a long time. The last appointment was made in 1998, but no regular teachers have been appointed since then. ” Karamjit Singh, Founder Vice-Chancellor, Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University, Patiala, said, “If we want to increase GER, the most important thing is to provide courses that will ensure employment of students or make them entrepreneurs. If a meritorious student from a weak financial background gets financial help in the form of a scholarship, then he must go a long way. Student enrollment in colleges has declined in recent years. GER in Punjab is about 29%, but efforts should be made to bring it to 50% as per the guidelines given in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Our focus is on improving GER in the state. Through social media, we are getting information about dropouts. We are trying to understand the reasons behind it. ”

HL Basra, Associate Professor, SCD Government College, Ludhiana, said, “GER will definitely improve the state due to implementation of CM Scholarship Scheme of Punjab Government. And because of the non-implementation of the Ambedkar Post-Matric SC Scholarship Scheme, many students have dropped out in the last three years due to non-payment of fees. ”