Adi Shakti Summer School, a collective of Adivasi and Dalit youths under the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS), is gearing up to submit a memorandum to the government raising a host of issues being faced by tribal youth in Kerala.
Privatisation and digitalisation in the educational sector had resulted in the exclusion of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe youths from basic education and higher education sectors, AGMS leader M. Geethanandan said. A quick intervention of the government in the matter is the need of the hour. Hence, the organisation is planning to submit a memorandum to the government, he added. The memorandum includes a call to include a special allotment process to be made in the prospectus of universities and autonomous colleges to ensure the mandatory reservation for SC/ST students.
According to the memorandum, all types of fees should be brought under e-grant and educational rights of SC/ST students should be ensured by offering them digital devices.
Among the other demands are the establishment of post-metric hostels for tribal students in all district headquarters. Besides, liaison officers should be appointed in the SC/ST department and universities to study issues facing students. Allocating seats reserved for SC/ST students to general category students should be made a punishable offence. The memorandum also calls for raising monthly allowances to students.
It said educational grants should be provided to undergraduate and postgraduate students at the beginning of the academic year. It also demanded that the number of Plus One seats be increased in schools in major tribal belts, including Wayanad and Attappady. The memorandum also called for the establishment of more model residential schools for tribal students.
The charter of demands will be submitted by the second week of April, Mr. Geethanandan said.
