Govt approves 1000 Tabs, hike in diet charges, tuition fee
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jul 3: The Tribal Affairs Department has approved a series of reforms for the hostels across J&K aimed at providing state-of-the-art educational facilities to tribal students and focusing on outcome-based quality education and skilling.
In this regard, the UT-level committee headed by Secretary to Govt, Tribal Affairs Department, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary approved several measures and schemes to be launched with immediate effect from the current academic year for providing such facilities.
The Technology Enabled Education Scheme for hostel students aims at providing access to the best educational resource material.
The meeting was attended by Special Secretary, Harun Malik, Secretary G&B Advisory Board, Mukhtar Ahmed Choudhary, Director Tribal Affairs, Mushir Ahmed Mirza, Financial Advisor, Ashok Thukaan, Jt Director Planning, Shama un Ahmed, Dy Director TRI Dr. Abdul Khabir, DD Tribal Affairs Dislshada Akhter, AD Planning Sushil Kumar and other officers.
In an endeavor to provide educational facilities to the students throughout the year the department has notified that hostels will operate and remain functional for 12 months instead of the present 10-month a year system in vogue while special courses will be run during the vacation period for skilling of students including tribal students volunteering to enroll for such courses.
The committee also accorded approval for a 75% enhancement in the daily diet rate increasing it to Rs 175/student/day with immediate effect, up from the existing Rs 100/student/day, and further recommended enhancement to Rs 300/student/day to be taken up in Revised Estimates of budget.
In a significant move, the department approved the “Technology-Enabled Education Scheme” for hostel students under which students enrolled in Class XI, XII, and PG courses will be provided Tabs-PCs with pre-loaded study material including books, animations, mind-maps, resource material, and references.
The students will be allowed to own the Tab even after being relieved from hostels on completion of the course. More than 1000 students studying in notified classes will be provided these tabs before 31st July 2022.
The Tribal Research Institute (TRI) has been entrusted with the course and content design for tabs and providing to students. The tuition system in hostels was also given a boost with an enhancement in the honorarium for tutors increasing it from the existing rates of Rs 1000, Rs 1200, and Rs 1500 for tutors of Class 6th – 8th, 9th – 10th, and 11th-12th, respectively to Rs 3000, Rs 4500 and Rs 6000 per month, a 3-4 times hike.
Meanwhile, the committee also reviewed the proposal for 25 new hostels which are being approved for the current financial year for Rs 100.00 Cr, and the completion of languishing hostels, many of which were pending in absence of requisite approvals and codal formalities for many years.
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