Bengaluru: In an attempt to stop dropouts among SC, ST students, the Karnataka Legislature Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Committee has recommended the state government to form a high-level committee by including various departments to track the reasons behind it.
The legislature committee has suggested including higher, technical education, agriculture and horticulture departments in the new committee, which would find out the dropout rate and the reasons for it. Since the students are discontinuing their education after failing exams, the committee suggested designing a project that would provide food and accommodation along with special coaching to them.
In Karnataka, the government has implemented many programmes for the education of SC, ST students. With the help of Karnataka Residential Education Institutions, 640 residential schools, 14 pre-university science colleges have been established to provide quality education to the SC, ST rural students. Around 1.02 lakh students are studying in these institutions.
Along with this, the committee suggested motivating students to study science and commerce course to get more job opportunities. More stress should be given to science, commerce and English teaching at high school-level with the help of experienced teachers. The Social Welfare Department fund of Rs.26, 000 crores earmarked for residential schools can be utilised for the purpose. More science and commerce colleges should be established in every college, the committee said.