Kollam: Winners of the prestigious Lower Secondary Scholarship (LSS) and Upper Secondary Scholarship (USS) examinations of the Kerala Government are yet to receive their scholarship amount even after four years.
The total scholarship amount which is pending across the state is a whopping Rs 8 crore. Worse, even the certificates of the winners of the previous years are yet to reach the schools.
Class 4 students clearing the LSS exam receive Rs 1,000 each year while they are in Classes 5, 6 and 7, while Class 7 students winning the USS exams are awarded Rs 1,500 every year in Classes 8, 9 and 10. Last year, 10,372 students passed the LSS exam and 10,511 the USS.
However, even students currently studying in Plus One (Class 11) have no idea when they would be receiving the USS amount. Some parents even approached the state Education Department over the matter, but there was no response.
“More students are selected for the scholarships than the funds allotted. Schools where a large number of students cleared the exams did not receive the adequate amount even in earlier years,” said the headmaster of a school.
Sometime ago, the government had announced that the scholarship amounts would be transferred directly to the students’ bank accounts. This plan also did not take off.