By Our Reporter
Shillong, Dec 8: The state government has been unable to approve the scholarships for students from tribal communities since it is waiting on the Ministry of Minority Affairs to release the first installment of funds.
Speaking with reporters following a meeting with the KSU education cell here on Friday, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma stated that the money is anticipated to be released at any time and that the required paperwork has already been finished on the government’s end.
According to him, the state government will use available funds to begin transferring scholarships to the students’ bank accounts.
Shelkitbok Kharbani, the assistant education secretary of KSU, expressed displeasure over the delay in awarding the scholarship money. “Recent public announcements, distributed by a number of media channels, advised the union that the scholarships would be awarded in two weeks, beginning on November 21, 2023. Nevertheless, the union has learned that the students have not yet received their scholarship money in spite of their patient waiting,” Kharbani stated.
The impact of this delay is extremely depressing for the students who depend on these scholarships to fund their education and achieve their academic goals, he said.
“Many of the students come from underprivileged backgrounds and depend on these funds to meet their educational expenses, including tuition fees, textbooks, and other essential materials,” he stated and requested prompt attention and action from the department in this case.
In the meantime, Kharbani expressed his sincere hope that the students’ concerns would be addressed promptly and that the scholarship funds would be awarded without further delay.
He also asked the minister to update them on any developments in trying to address the hold-up in disbursing the scholarship money to the students.