Karnataka to Clear 100 Crore in Pending Minority Student Support

The Karnataka government will clear around 100 crore rupees in pending minority scholarships. Minister for Minorities Welfare, Waqf and Haj U.T. Khader made this announcement on Tuesday, detailing new steps to help students and fix payment problems.

Scholarship Funds and New Schools

The department plans to give out 494.71 crore rupees in financial help and scholarships this year for students ranging from class 1 all the way to PhD level. The budget allocation is 440 crore rupees, but officials are ready to look for extra money if more students apply than the budget allows. The government also plans to lay the foundation stone for 100 new Shishunala Sharif schools by the end of November at a cost of about 800 crore rupees. Construction on 77 older schools is almost done, and those buildings should also open by the end of November.

Helpline and Coaching Changes

To help students report problems, the department will launch an online help system. Students can call the phone number 82777 99990 to share their complaints, and the department will track each case. A mobile app named 'Minority Mitra' is also on the way to collect public complaints. For coaching, teachers will now visit schools to hold offline classes for students in classes 9 and 10 each week, instead of just using online classes for NEET prep.

University Fee Issues

The State government asked the Karnataka State Open University to push back its fee payment deadline because thousands of students are waiting for fee money under a welfare scheme. More than 13,000 students applied this year with a total fee need of about 30 crore rupees. The department picked 8,086 students this year, up from about 5,000 last year. The department plans to set clearer rules on course eligibility and make the funding system more stable after running into budget shortfalls.

Context

State governments in India run various targeted welfare programs to support educational access for minority communities, often bridging gaps between standard school funding and student need. Open universities like KSOU offer correspondence courses that help working students or those who cannot attend regular daytime classes continue their studies.