Given the withdrawal of the scholarship by the union government, nearly five lakh poor minority students studying from 1st standard to 8th standard in Tamil Nadu will be adversely affected and deprived of the benefits of the scholarship. Education is the most effective tool for empowering the poor and helping them lead dignified lives. Multiple surveys over the years have demonstrated that minorities, especially Muslims, are lagging in education.

This scholarship supports poor, underprivileged, and highly marginalized students, including girls, to access quality education and, therefore, must be continued,” said Stalin, in a DO letter.

Recently, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has stated that the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 makes it obligatory for the government to provide free and compulsory elementary education (from Classes I to VIII) to every child and hence only students studying in Classes IX and X will be eligible for the pre-matric scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.