The Tamil Nadu government would bear the full cost of professional education of students from government schools who would secure admission under the newly created 7.5% quota, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced today. The announcement would benefit at least 10,000 students, largely from poor families who would get admission to engineering colleges alone.
Handing over allotment letters for the first batch of students, M K Stalin said "The government would take care of tuition, college, and even counseling fee". He encouraged students to "study, study and study" and become "entrepreneurs and job givers".
The DMK government had recently passed a law paving way for a 7.5% quota in engineering admission, aiming to help the large pool of poor students who studied in government schools from Class 6 to 8.
Stalin's announcement comes amid worry expressed by many poor parents that they will not be able to afford admission and hostel fee, particularly if their children get admitted to private colleges.
Abirami, an engineering aspirant and a daughter of domestic help in Chennai is happy. She told NDTV "It would anywhere cost us between a lakh and a half to two lakh every year in a private college. Our family income is just around ten thousand rupees a month. I would have definitely rejected the offer. This would be a boon for me and many like me to fulfil our dreams".
Last year the AIADMK which passed a law for 7.5% quota for government school students in medical admission, had announced covering the fee of students admitted to private medical colleges, under the government quota.
M K Stalin's announcement also comes ahead of rural local body polls in reconstituted nine districts.