Scholarship schemes find few takers

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 2

The Central Government’s pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes have seen a decline as compared to last year due to the new registration system for students. The Centre has questioned states, including Punjab, over the low registration under the scholarship scheme that is for minority students.

Sources say students have opted for the state-run scholarship scheme and according to rule a student can apply only for one scheme. Another reason is the new system for registration. Earlier, a class teacher could register several students through his mobile phone by generating a one–time password, but the new system has a limitation that a mobile can be used to register only two children. So students have get mobile phones for their registration.

Officials, on the condition of anonymity, say this system can promote the phone culture. The department has asked the schools concerned about the reason behind low number of registration.