How Scholarship Schemes are promoting education among girls – Times of India

To encourage girls to continue their schooling, the government is taking various initiatives, and scholarships are one of them. The Maulana Azad Education Foundation under the Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship for students from the minority community in 200-0-04. Under the scheme, the foundation provides financial assistance to meritorious students from Jain, Muslim, Persian, Sikh, Christian and Buddhist communities who cannot continue their education due to lack of financial support. The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) is the implementing agency for the scholarship.

A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Candidates selected for the scholarship are given a one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for class IX and X on an annual basis and Rs 6,000 for class XI and XII.”

The money received under the scholarship can be spent on school / college fees, purchase of syllabus books, stationery or equipment required for the course and payment of boarding / lodging charges.

According to the information available on the ministry’s website, so far, the foundation has helped 8 students with Rs 66 crore. According to sources, out of the total six informed minorities, the number of applicants is highest in the Muslim community and the lowest in the number of applicants from the Jain community. Why the lowest application from Jains, the source reason is that most of them are financially strong who applied less for scholarships.

Last year, the foundation received a total of about 2 lakh applications for the scholarship, sources said.

The selection process


Students are shortlisted based on the number obtained in the aptitude test and the annual income of the parent / guardian which should not exceed Rs. 2 lakhs. To get the scholarship, the beneficiaries have to apply anew for each class. There are renewal arrangements.

In addition to the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship, the CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for Singapore Girls is awarded by the Board. The number of CBSE Merit Scholarship Schemes for a given year will be variable and all eligible candidates who have scored 60% or more in the CBSE Class X examination in that year will be rewarded. Under the scheme, a maximum of Rs 500 is paid on a monthly basis for two years.

Support for NDA testing


Recently, the Tripura government signed a memorandum of understanding with an AdTech platform to help female students prepare for the NDA exams. A total of 250 students will be given one year free subscription for defense test by UNACADEMY.