KV Correspondent

Flop show: PMSS scheme finds least takers in Kashmir

Flop show: PMSS scheme finds least takers in Kashmir
Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Srinagar: The much hyped Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) launched in 2010 for the benefit of the young students in Kashmir has failed to impress the them as most of the seats in outside colleges remain vacant every year.
A top official said the scheme has failed to evoke the expected response from JK students with most of the selected candidates staying away from taking up the allotted courses.
From 2015, the students don’t take up the courses under the scheme after being dissatisfied with the courses allotted to them.
As per the official figures, only 1200 out of 3742 students, who were allotted to various colleges across the country for academic year 2015-16 applied and took up the courses under the scheme.
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in collaboration with University Grants Commission (UGC) and JK Higher Education department held counseling session of the aspiring students in J&K from 2015.
“But the students are not offered the courses of their choice and some aspiring candidates are allotted the colleges which were not recognized by UGC, prompting them to stay away from the scheme,” an official, who is privy to the developments said.
Since the launch of PMSSS in 2010, the government has not been able to streamline its implementation in J&K, leaving the students complaining about the scheme.
The students who were selected for 2015-16 academic year for Amar Singh College Srinagar had also expressed their disappointment saying that they were not allotted the courses of our own choice.
Moreover, the AICTE, which is the concerned agency for overall implementation of the scheme, revealed that only 1600 out of more than 3000 students were allotted provisional admission in engineering and technology courses while as around 2000 students were given admission for general courses.
“But, only 900 out of 1600 students applied for admissions in engineering colleges while as rest of the students decided to stay away,” said the official.
“Only 200 students out of 2000 took admission who were counseled and provided admissions in reputed undergraduate colleges of the country,” another top official added.
As per the statistics, only 43 percent students were accommodated under PMSSS in several courses in various states of India.
In last five years, out of 25000 seats allotted for JK students only 10,885 seats have been filled, exposing the failure of the scheme.
Secretary higher education department, TalatParvezRuhella was not available for his comments.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *