Srinagar: Barely two weeks after the J&K government announced to cover all students under scholarship schemes, around 40 percent students were deprived from a government of India scholarship allegedly due to negligence by officials in the School Education department.
Official data accessed by Kashmir Reader revealed that 533 students belonging to economically weaker section in the valley had applied for this year’s National Merit-cum Means Scholarship (NMMS). The scholarship entitles a student Rs 12,000 per year from class 9 to 12.
However, only 306 students appeared in the scholarship test held by the J&K Board of School Education (JKBOSE) on December 7.
The rest of the students missed to appear in exams because the education department failed to convey them about the date of scholarship test, official sources privy to development said.
It has been learnt that in Srinagar district that less than half of the students comprising 93 of 202 students appeared in the examination.
Likewise, of 110, 39 and 21 students, only 28, 31 and 16 appeared in Anantnag, Budgam and Baramulla districts respectively. Only a single student appeared from Bandipora district.
A top official at the JKBOSE said that several application forms of the students were forwarded to them by the officials in the school education department after the deadline.
“Fault lies with officials in the school education department, who failed to forward the cases to us despite several extensions in the deadline,” he added.
Director School Education Kashmir, Dr Mohammad Younis Malik said he will look into the matter.

Irshad Khan