The Ministry of Education recently conducted a workshop for State/UT and District level Officers overseeing the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS), emphasizing the importance of quota utilisation and scholarship continuity for students in Classes IX to XII. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, highlighted the need for effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at the grassroots level.
Under the NMMSS, scholarships are granted to deserving students from economically weaker backgrounds to prevent dropouts at class VIII and support their education through the secondary stage. The interactive session with State Nodal Officers aimed to offer practical guidance and address challenges faced at the grassroots level.
Every year, one lakh fresh scholarships are awarded to selected Class IX students, with continuation/renewal opportunities in classes X to XII for those studying in state government, government-aided, and local body schools. The scholarship amount totals Rs 12,000 per annum, and students with parental income not exceeding Rs 3,50,000 per annum are eligible for these scholarships.
Students seeking these scholarships must have a minimum of 55 per cent marks or equivalent grade in the Class VII examination to qualify for the selection test, with a relaxation of 5 per cent for SC/ST students. The workshop involved key officials like A. Srija, Economic Advisor, DoSEL, Bhupal Nanda, Principal CCA, MoE, and Dr Pankaj K. P. Shreyaskar, Deputy Director General (Statistics), DoSEL, who actively participated in the discussions.
Addressing the workshop participants, Shreyaskar, Deputy Director General (Statistics), highlighted the transformation of UDISE+ into a real-time, digital-first platform. Srija, Economic Advisor (DoSEL), emphasized the importance of timely verification by State-Level Officers on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) to ensure prompt payments for students from economically weaker sections. This initiative reflects the commitment of DoSEL to ensure transparent and student-centric implementation of central scholarship schemes in the region.
