JAMMU: Tribal Affairs Department (TAD) today organised a one-day convention of students on Career Counselling and emerging opportunities at national and international levels.
Students selected under various schemes of career development recently launched by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were also honored and provided a range of support material.
Secretary, Tribal Affairs Department, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary who was the chief guest on the occasion, addressed the students highlighting key interventions in the tribal education sector by the J&K government over the last two years and underscored various career opportunities for the students supported by the department. He also obtained detailed feedback and suggestions from students about their educational needs.
Secretary of Tribal Affairs Deptt, Harun Malik, Secretary, Advisory Board, Mukhtar Ahmed, Director TAD Mushir Ahmed Mirza, heads of institutions, wardens, and other officials attended. Dy Director TRI Dr Abdul Khabir conducted the proceedings and supervised career counselling session. Domain experts conducted sessions on various aspects of competitive examinations. Students from various hostels also shared their experiences.
Deptt handed over selection letters to candidates selected for NEET, JEE and UPSC coaching under which 200 students are being provided coaching. Computer Tabs with Pre-loaded educational content including CBSE and JKBOSE were also distributed among students. Teams from various hostels were provided sports kits and other materials for extra-curricular activities. Mementos and certificates of merit were also awarded to students excelling in various competitions organised by the department and TRI.
Dr Shahid highlighted that in order to strengthen the basic education level 100 schools in tribal areas were modernised last year while 120 were sanctioned this year. He further shared that 367 schools are being taken up for upgrading under the PMAAGY Model Village scheme. Capacity building of students to compete for admission to international universities is being launched by the department next month.
Recent initiatives of the govt were discussed and brainstorming sessions were held on the future roadmap for the education of tribal students. Deptt has initiated work on 25 new hostels, completed 8 hostels and handed over 10 hostel projects to PWD which were abandoned few years back due to a lack of codal formalities. Enhancement of scholarship by 125%, 4 times increase in tuition fee, 75% hike in diet charges, hike scholarship budget from 14 Cr to 52 Cr, vehicles and libraries for hostels, coaching and Skilling facilities, among others.
Six Eklavya Model Residential Schools sanctioned between 1997 to 2019 were made operational this year while 10 new EMRS have been recommended. One Model Transit Residential School was inaugurated in Pulwama and two more were sanctioned for Shopian and Rajouri as a part of the flagship initiative of the J&K govt for tribal education.
The Secretary also emphasized the need to strengthen seasonal educational centres to provide quality education to students belonging to migratory families, around the year. Deptt has started multiple studies aimed at improving the educational scenario in tribal villages and laying focus on the migratory population. A career counseling cell is being launched by the TRI this month to focus on hostels as well as schools in tribal areas.
