GUWAHATI: As part of a slew of schemes for students ahead of the Assembly elections, the Assam government has decided to provide a financial incentive of Rs 100 per day to female students for attending classes in their institutions, a move welcomed by guardians, students and teachers alike.
State education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while announcing the Rs 100-per-day scheme for female students during a scooter distribution programme in Sivasagar on Sunday, however did not divulge details of the scheme and when it would be launched.
Apart from reaching out to students and their guardians, the scheme is apparently intended to enhance enrollment of students in government schools.
As it is, under a merit scheme, the state government is distributing two-wheelers to Class XII female students (2020-21) who have passed in the first division from the state board.
The Assam government will incur an expenditure of Rs 144.30 crore to distribute two wheelers among 22,000 female students under the Pragyan Bharati scheme.
“The decision has to be appreciated even as we expect a holistic approach to uplift the education sector in the state. It will not only boost attendance in educational institutions but also inculcate a spirit of competition among the students to do well in studies as they graduate to the higher secondary level,” a teacher, wishing anonymity, told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
Guardians from economically weaker sections, particularly in the semi-urban and rural areas, and burdened by various needs have also heaved a sigh of relief.
“I have enrolled two of my daughters in government schools as I could not afford private education. Now such schemes from the government come as a relief for a farmer struggling to make ends meet like me,” said Jayanta Das, who hails from an interior village in Kamrup district.
Tumpa Dey, a Class X student of Khetri Adarsha Madhyamik Bidyaloy at Khetri, about 45km from here, was elated when she came to know about the scheme. “The scheme will keep many students like me motivated to attend school almost every day now,” she said.
