In a move to promote education among the minorities, the UT Education Department has proposed to make education entirely free up to Class XII for the students belonging to the Christian, Muslim and Kashmiri migrants communities. The proposal is lying pending with the senior officials in the department and the sources maintain that the it will be announced on the forthcoming Republic Day.

Besides providing free education to the students belonging to the minorities, the officials have also planned to provide students from the Muslim and the Christian communities with scholarships. If students from these two communities score 75 per cent attendance every month, those upto Class VIII will be provided Rs 250 per month as scholarship and those from Class IX to XII will get Rs 300 per month. The scholarship will not be paid for the month in which students fail to score 75 per cent attendance.

Talking to Newsline, a senior official of the department said, “The proposals have been almost finalised and are waiting for the final nod. We have decided to announce them on the Republic Day.” Students from the minorities will also get 75 per cent waiver in the fees of any vocational course they would want to join.

The proposals are not only limited to the students belonging to the minorities, the proposal also covers students suffering from any kind of physical or mental disability. Education for the latter has been made free upto Class XII. They will also be given scholarships for showing 75 per cent attendance as in the case of students from the minorities.