The Pre-Matric Scholarships Scheme and COVA Facilitation: A Report
The Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities and other communities was announced in June, 2006. It provides that a pre-matric scholarship scheme for meritorious students from minority communities would be implemented. Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme by Central and State governments have large budget allocations. In 2015-16, Rs.5482 crores were allocated for scholarships by the Central Government alone, however, the scheme remains grossly underutilized by students from economically disadvantaged sections.
Reasons for under-utilization are lack of awareness about schemes & limitations in accessibility to internet, Aadhaar card linkages, not having a bank account & registration of schools with the concerned Ministries.
Access to Pre-Matric Scholarships Program
COVA facilitates students to avail these scholarships by enabling them to access the following services without any cost to the student and parent:
- Obtain Aadhar cards, income certificates, caste certificates etc.
- Opening of bank accounts
- Enrollment of schools with the concerned departments &
- Online submission of forms by data entry operators equipped with laptops and dongles.
- Follow up with the schools for verification of the applications uploaded on the portal.
- Follow up with the State Nodal Officer of the National Scholarship Scheme.
Objectives:
- The scholarship at Pre-Matric level will encourage parents from minority communities to send their school going children to school, lighten their financial burden on school education and sustain their efforts to support their children to complete school education. The scheme will form the foundation for their educational attainment and provide a level playing field in the competitive employment arena. Empowerment through education, which is one of the objectives of this scheme, has the potential to lead to upliftment of the socio-economic conditions of the minority communities.
- COVA aims to support at least 20,000 students from deprived backgrounds to file online applications for Pre Matric scholarships of the Government of India and the Government of Telangana to enable students to collectively access amounts amounting about one crore.
Pre Metric Scholarship Scheme by Central and State Governments have large budget allocations. In 2015-16, Rs.5482 Crores were allocated for scholarships by the Central Government alone; however, the scheme remains grossly underutilized by students from economically disadvantaged sections. The Project to facilitate accessibility to the scholarships was initiated by COVA for the year 2017-18 and 3,011 students of 32 schools of Hyderabad were facilitated to apply for government scholarships the year 2017-18.
Overview of Pre-matric Scholarships Accessed from 2017-2021:
Due to the Pandemic and closure of schools or no physical classes during 2020-21, it was difficult to reach out to students and even more challenging to obtain the required documents from them to up link the scholarship forma online.
Still, using different social media platforms and audio / visual material, COVA Peace Network was able to reach out to over 5000 students and helped 3296 students to secure scholarships successfully.
Aligned with UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goal’s (SDG’s)
COVA follows UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goal’s and strives towards achieving its targets for a sustainable and just society. Here are the SDG’s which we follow for 3rd Generation Philanthropy’s Pre-Metric Scholarships.
Details of Pre Matric Scholarships Secured for Students
From 2017- 18 to 2020- 21
Due to the Pandemic and closure of schools or no physical classes during 2020-21, it was difficult to reach out to students and even more challenging to obtain the required documents from them to up link the scholarship forma online.
Still, using different social media platforms and audio / visual material, COVA Peace Network was able to reach out to over 5000 students and helped 3296 students to secure scholarships successfully.
This initative is part of the 3rd Generation Philanthropy Program and instead of giving scholarships to students directly from the donations mobilised, these resources are used to enable students to procure all the required documents and then apply online for Pre Matric Scholarships being provided by the governments.
The Pre Matric Scholarships for Minority students are given by the Central Government and the procedures are streamlined and scholarships can be availed without much difficulty. However, the State Government is tasked with disbursing scholarships for SC, ST and BC Students and the procedures were not defined, there was no information in the public domain and the corruption involved in obtaining Caste and Income Certificates prevented students from applying. In fact for the year 2017-18 only 75 SC and 80 BC students in whole of Hyderabad could get the scholarships in 2017.
COVA Peace Network took up this issue and started advocacy with the government for defining procedures as detailed below:
Evolving the System: Challenges and Achievements
- Putting Information in Public Domain
The EPASS Portal of the Government of Telangana had no information for Pre-Matric Scholarships. After pursuing the matter with senior officials for months, the information was uploaded on the EPASS Portal on 26th February 2020.
- Caste and Income Certificates: Surmounting the Challenges
COVA Peace Network overcame corruption in issue of Caste and Income Certificates and now students can get both for just Rs. 110 instead of Rs. 500 to 1000 that was demanded by Mesava Centers and brokers earlier.
- COVA Peace Network convinced branches of Banks to open accounts of students that is now being done without any minimum deposit and no processing fee.
Earlier they were made to go to CSP Points who demanded at least Rs 100 as deposit and charged Rs. 100 to 300 as processing fees.
- COVA Peace Network identified Sanghams for different castes and sub castes who are authorized to issue Caste Letters for issue of Caste Certificates by the Government and encouraged them to issue the Caste Letter to students belonging to their caste without charge
- Guidebook for Awareness
COVA prepared a Guidebook containing all information for accessing Pre-Matric Scholarships in a user-friendly form for easy reference by the students, parents and schools. The Guidebook is also translated into Telugu and an Audio / Video message in Telugu is prepared and shared through whatsapp with all stakeholders.
With the students now having to spend only about Rs. 110 in the first year and only Rs. 55 in subsequent years, for all the required documents, many students have started coming forward and engaging with the processes required to obtain all the necessary documents to apply for Pre-Matric Scholarships. As a result, COVA Peace Network was able to enable over 600 SC,ST and BC students to apply online for the Pre Matric Scholarships but due to the closure of schools in Mid-March 2020 because to the Pandemic, we could not get to our target of helping at least 3000 ST, SC and BC students till the end of the academic year in May 2020.
For Details of the Pre-Matric Scholarship program from 2017-2020 please refer Annual Reports of COVA for the respective years available at www.covanetwork.org
CASE STUDY: FROM DISAPPOINTMENT TO HOPE: ENABLING POOR STUDENTS TO SECURE GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Sushmita is a class 10thstudent of MH Gupta High School in Santoshnagar. Her father is an attender in a private school and mother works as a maid in houses. Belonging to the SC community, Sushmita and her parents had never heard about the Pre Matric Scholarships Scheme. After the awareness about the scheme provided by COVA along with facilitation to obtain all the required documents and free online submission of the form by operators of COVA who had visited her school, Sushmita got a scholarship of Rs. 3000 in February 2020. 
Her father, Mr. M. Jangaih while thanking COVA expressed hope that his two other children will also be able to get the scholarships when they reach higher classes and this will greatly ease the pressure on him about the expenses for educating them and make it possible to continue their studies.
Danish is a student of 8th standard at Jamia Darul Huda Hyderabad. His father works as washer man in the same school he is studying at. Last year Danish applied for a scholarship through an agent where he had to pay Rs. 200 for uploading his application at the national
Scholarship Portal. He did not receive any message and could not get the scholarship during 2016-17. Danish said that “disappointed at not receiving the scholarship despite spending over Rs 250 for agent’s fee and documents my parents thought it is a waste of money and time and were not planning to apply for scholarships again”.
But in 2017-18 COVA facilitated the online uploading of his scholarship form on the National Scholarships Portal free of charge and followed up with the authorities. His application is approved and transfer of scholarship amount to his bank account is expected any time now.
Sangeethais a student or 8thclass of MH Gupta High School in Santoshnagar with 2 siblings also studying in the same school. 
Her father is a auto driver and the family had never heard about the Pre Matric Scholarships Program for SCs till COVA informed them and help them to obtain all the required documents and facilitated online submission all free of charge.She received Rs. 3000 as scholarship in February 2020 and the entire family, school management and teachers are happy.
Ghosia Sarwat’s father Md. Saleem works at the printing press for the daily district paper ‘VIKAAS’ and earns meager amount. When Md. Saleem applied for the scholarship for his younger daughter in the National Scholarship Portal last year, it was rejected because of some errors. Ghosia Sarwat is a student of the 7th standard at St. Stephen’s High School at Faluknuma, Hyderabad. 
But in 2018-19 COVA facilitated the online uploading of Ghosia’s scholarship form on the National Scholarships Portal free of charge and followed up with the authorities. Her application is approved and she received Rs: 5600/- of scholarship amount to her bank account. Ghosia with the scholarship amount from the government paid her school fees. Ghosia’s father who earns less money was happy that the government approved the release of the scholarship for his daughter. He says “the burden is less on me if the government and COVA help my daughter for education in future”
SUCCESS IN ADVOCACY
