Gross Enrollment Ratio for ST students in Class 9-10 increased over 75 pc in 2019-20: Union Minister

New Delhi [India], March 21 : The Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme has been conceptualized with the objective of supporting parents of scheduled tribe students for the education of their wards studying in Classes 9 and 10 so that the incidence of drop out, especially in the transition from the elementary to secondary and during the second stage of education is minimized; and to improve participation of ST students in classes IX and X of Pre-Matric stage, so that they perform well and have a better chance of progressing to Post-Matric stages of education, informed Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu in Lok Sabha on Monday.
The evaluation study of the Pre-Matric Scholarship conducted by NITI Aayog in 2021 and the Indian Institute of Public Administration(IIPA) in September 2019 has found that the scheme has been successful in achieving its objective.
The report of Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus published by the Ministry of Education, shows that Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for ST students in 2019-20 for Class 1 to 8 is 102.08, which confirms that the increased enrolment in classes 1 to 8 is also representative of the Scheduled Tribe populations. Likewise, the GER at Senior Secondary (classes 9-10) level has increased from 62.4 per cent in 2012-13 to 76.7 per cent in 2019-20, added the minister.
Department of Schools Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education is the nodal Department for providing Universal access to quality education through its autonomous/Statutory bodies, i.e. CBSE, KVS, JNV, NIOS and NCTE and its centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha, PM Poshan, PadhnaLikhna Abhiyan and central sector scheme of National Means cum Merit Scholarships.