Attendance monitoring systems and other infrastructure will be set up for the fee reimbursement process, says the government.
The state government has clarified that it would continue its scholarship to the students of underprivileged classes to facilitate their pursuing higher studies as promised during the 2009 elections.
Condemning a report which appeared in a section of the press that the fee reimbursement would be stopped by the government for certain categories of courses, Minister for Social Welfare Pitani Satyanarayana, while condemning it, also denied any such proposal.
Besides this, the Cabinet Sub-Committee which held lengthy discussions at the Secretariat on Wednesday emphasized on the need to check the bonafides or the identity of the students. It also decided that a scrutiny of attendance was being made compulsory, as colleges were ignoring it.
This is to ensure that the public funds were not misused, Satyanarayana stated.
An IT-based biometric system would be employed in the colleges or at the time of counselling, to check the identity of the students, the Minister added. The idea was to centralize the system for proper utility of the funds, he said.
The fee structure will also be monitored effectively, and a feedback mechanism would be in place shortly, the Minister assured. He also stated that parents belonging to SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities need not worry over financial problems for the higher education of their wards.
The government had already released Rs. 3,100 crore so far, and Rs. 1,000 crore was paid for the academic year 2010-2011 on March 31. Another Rs. 1,000 crore will be paid on April 30, Satyanarayana assured.
The entire balance will be paid by the end of July, the Minister added.
Apart from attendance monitoring systems, infrastructure will also be in place soon, he said.
The Education Department has been issued a set of guidelines in this regard, and see that the above facilities are provided, and the Principal Secretary of the Education Department will monitor the situation, the Minister revealed.
Efforts are being made to fill up the quota in the paramedical and nursing courses, as these courses provided job opportunities, he continued.
The APPSC has also fixed the age limit of eligible BCs at 34 years, and that of SC and ST students at 39 years, to facilitate the poor to opt for higher education, the Minister pointed out.
Secondary Education Minister K Parthasarathi, Wakf and Minorities Welfare Minister Syed Ahmadullah and Tribal Welfare Minister Pasupuleti Balaraju also attended the review meeting.
Earler SC, ST and BC leaders who attended the meeting raised slogans in support of the amendment of GO 66, which, they alleged, was depriving reserved students of scholarships.
Indian Dalit Employees Association president Raja Sundara Babu and BC Welfare president G Krishnaiah spoke to the media as well. (INN)