In a landmark move, the Karnataka government has decided to provide free education for all girls from Class 1 to graduation in public and aided private schools and colleges from the next academic year.
"We expect around 18 lakh students whose parents' income would be less than Rs 10 lakh to opt for this scheme, and are planning to earmark Rs 110 crore," Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi was quoted by the Times of India as saying. He hopes that only the poor will avail the scheme.
Even Telangana has a similar scheme, where girls are provided free education from kindergarten to postgraduation (KG to PG), while Punjab extended the scheme up to the PhD level and fulfilled its key poll promise.
This decision comes ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, which are just months away.
Rayareddi also said about the scheme: "It's a model one and a major leap towards women's empowerment. The scheme is for all girls unlike their [the BJP's] schemes [in states ruled by them] which are restricted to certain classes and income groups."
The students must pay the fees at the time of admission which will be reimbursed later by the government. Examination fees, however, will not be reimbursed.
The higher education minister also said fees would be waived even if the students opt for popular women's colleges like Mount Carmel in Bengaluru.
The scheme is ostensibly aimed at discouraging girls from dropping out of school, especially in rural areas. Many girls don't continue their studies after Class X. This initiative will impart free education to girls from underprivileged communities.
"It is mainly in rural areas where girls come from families earning less than Rs 10 lakh that the government needs to extend incentives. But the government will not discriminate between cities and rural areas and poor and rich. It is ready to reimburse fees to all girl students," Rayareddi said.
