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Despite the claim that who used to be the beneficiary, the poor and disadvantaged students of the Secondary and Higher Secondary schools are supported by the State in India through many scholarships. Though the eligibility criteria are different, the students are eligible to apply at least a scholarship where they are found to be fit into. This paper brings light on the flagship scholarship programme, National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS), which not only provides scholarships to poor children of the BPL (Below Poverty Line) parents for a period of four years from Class IX to XII, but also gives assurance to those eligible children to complete the secondary and higher secondary education successfully. The paper also argues that the inadequacy and unapproachability of the unlettered parents coupled with the problems of direct transfer of benefits make many hurdles than the easy passage and purpose of the scheme. While, the charity of the State continues on the one side, it becomes an obligation of the State to come forward in every aspect to contribute generously and cheerfully towards the down-trodden and poverty-ridden young children.

1. The Government of India launched the centrally sponsored National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) in May 2008 during the XI Plan through the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The primary motive and purpose of this scheme is to award scholarship to the children of the economically weaker sections, who are normally found to be dropping the school before completing the secondary schooling. By receiving this scholarship, the children of the underprivileged masses, who is not only be benefited during their secondary and senior secondary stages, but also get-motivated and inspired to compete in their academics with any other student of the elite section without burdening much their parents. The scheme also aims to promote equity, public accountability and innovation in Secondary and Higher Secondary education.

2. A large number of children studying in government schools are the poorest, and quite often they are the impoverished and desperately need basic amenities like text books, note books, school uniform, and sometimes a cycle during the school education. Their parents battle hunger, debt, unemployment and social humiliation, but most of them still send their children to school. They do this at enormous household cost, and with great hope for what the schools have to offer. Rich or poor, most Indian parents now aspire to educate their children.

3. The idea behind this cherishing experience of the Government of India was based on the argument that high drop out of students, from both rural and urban, particularly in the remote rural areas, where children find it difficult to find a school within their expected vicinity. Obviously, the students are left with no other option than dropping their school education because of the non-availability of schools for secondary and higher secondary education. So, it has become an obligation for the State to come out with this innovative idea of awarding scholarship to the poorest of the poor children to initiate and implement, in order to control the drop out at the school level in every nook and corner of India and encourage the students to continue and complete the study at the Secondary and Senior Secondary level. Under the scheme, it was proposed to award 1,00,000 (one lakh) scholarships to the gifted or meritorious students whose parents’ annual income is not more than 1.5 lakh rupees from all sources. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the NMMS scheme and identifying the issues and challenges in implementing the scheme in different sample States and UTs.

4. The leitmotif of this paper is to analyze and understand how far this scholarship scheme is different from other schemes in terms of benefits, such as amount of the scholarship as it is given throughout the year continuously for four consecutive years from the date of initial award, mostly from class IX, based on the performance of the student every year. Focus is also made on the SC, ST and backward class students, the low-income groups, the disadvantaged sections of the society, who have been benefited through this scheme, and also how far this scholarship helps them in getting academic excellence in education in the six States, namely Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Jharkhand & Uttar Pradesh, where this study has been carried out. Attention will be made to study the performance of the students, who have been awarded the scholarship from time to time from the inception of the launching of this scholarship for the poor and oppressed.

National Merit Scholarship Scheme was introduced by the Department of Education, Government of India in 1961-1962. It was offered to brilliant but poor students from Class XI to post-Graduation level. In addition, a scheme of scholarship at the secondary stage for talented children from rural areas was also launched by the Department of Education, Government of India 1971-1972.  It was offered to talented but poor students from rural areas from Class VI to Class XII.  These two schemes were later merged and a single scheme, namely, the ‘National Merit Scholarship Scheme’ was established by the Department of Education, Government of India for implementation from 2005-2006.  This was available to meritorious students from class IX to Post-Graduation level. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/Guidelines-Collegestdnts%20(1).pdf/ However, since funds were not provided by the planning commission for the year 2007-2008, the scheme has been discontinued w. e. f 1^st April, 2007. School Education, which has come under a new Department, namely, Department of School Education and Literacy, has introduced a new scheme: ‘National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme. This scheme covers students from Classes IX to XII.  The Department of Higher Education, MHRD has introduced a new scheme entitled “Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students’. The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) is one of the important scholarship programmes initiated by the Government of India, through the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development during the XI Five Year Plan period for the poorest of the poor students, who excel and achieve outstanding academic performance. Mugdha Jain (2009) reviews the national means cum merit scholarship scheme with respect to efficiency in implementation and its effectiveness. Delhi state has been taken as a sample study for the nationwide scheme. Inefficiencies, delays, inadequate performance were witnessed by the implementing body in the state. 

The study also envisages the perspectives of students, parents, heads of the institutions, including teachers, where the student’s involvement and achievement is found to be more important than any other factor and that perpetuates among the poor children to propel themselves towards reaching the goal of scoring more and also enrolling themselves for higher education, and even to the level of reaching the highest degrees of research. Six States were selected as sample that included, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, out of all 35 States and UTs. These six States had been preferred, keeping in mind the idea of not leaving any region of India, that is, two from the North, one each the South and the West, one from the East and one among the North-Eastern States. Three specific districts in the selected States were identified for the study, and from every district three schools were selected, from where five students from each school is taken for a survey. While analyzing the students, their class of study, background, the parents and their perceptions, their annual income, education, occupation etc., were considered to be given utmost importance.

Overall, there were 18 Districts with at least 93 schools and a selected 343 students, where 195 were boys and 148 girls, from the selected 6 States were covered for the evaluation of the scheme. The evaluation, which was carried out meticulously, ensured the nature and progress of the scholarship plan, the beneficiaries and other participants, and getting more information from the fields, and made the study into an interesting one. Field Survey became a significant research method to collect, receive, retrieve and understand information personally by visiting schools, meeting the principals/ headmasters, teachers, students and the parents, who all had a very important role in assessing the experience of students, parents and institutions after the implementation of NMMSS at the District level.

A questionnaire was prepared for the principals/headmasters, which comprised of many questions that included asking information on the knowledge of the scheme NMMSS, entrance exam for the students, income limit of the parents, official interactions, student’s performance and so on. Another questionnaire was circulated among the students asking the name of students, school, parents and siblings, class, category etc. The students were requested to fill-in the questionnaire, and the details were to be tabulated; the family and other background of the student, socio-economic condition, income, education, academic achievement, difficulties in getting the scholarship and so on were identified and codified. The details were to be analyzed and interpreted for understanding the introduction of the scholarship, implementation, usage of the scholarship, and how far the underprivileged children were benefited from this scholarship.

The flagship NMMS Scheme, which was launched in 2008, has been already benefited, and will also to benefit hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged children studying in Classes between IX and XII, and is a good initiative for a range of reasons. The evaluation carried out in six States exhibits the problems and probabilities of the students who have been awarded. The eligible students normally write an entrance examination, usually conducted by the State authorities by providing an application form once in a year. Comparing the NMMS Scheme with other schemes, this scholarship does the reverse and helps them to go for even higher education as it is clear from the observation and data that many students are saving money from their allotted scholarship for their higher education. For those students who are from the lowest ranks it is a dream come true to get a scholarship like this at the secondary and higher secondary stage. Students responded positively that NMMSS gives them immense hope of getting into a good college in their near future without burdening their parents.

In the year of inception 2008-09, the Department of Education had a stipulated year marked allocated of 100000 (1 Lakh) NMMSS scholarships, which was to be bifurcated into all 35 States and UT’s, based on the age group population and enrollment of students of the States. In this introductory year the central government sent circulars to all States, particularly to the Department of education of the individual State, defining the nature, process and the benefits of this scheme. A very important data was prepared on the allocation of the individual States based on the enrollment of students in the respective State. The Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD, circular and attachments specify that there were 55544 NMMSS scholarships were disbursed in the first year.

In this allocation, Uttar Pradesh got the lion’s share of the highest, 15143 allocated scholarships, and Lakshadweep the Union Territory with much lower population was allocated only 10 scholarships. But, Uttar Pradesh disbursed only 9206 scholarships in 2006-09, 1076 in 2009-10, 12422 in 2010-11 and just 3303 in 2011-12. The utilization of the scholarship data shows that Uttar Pradesh never used the entire allocated quota of scholarships.

The southern State Andhra Pradesh, with an allotted quota of 7008, sanctioned 6828 in 2008-09; the State sanctioned 13175 scholarships, both fresh and renewals in 2009-10. But in 2011-12, the State offered 33880 scholarships (fresh & renewals together) with a sanctioned amount of 2032.80 lakhs. So, Andhra Pradesh has taken special interest to execute the NMMSS plan in all the regions of the State, and is the highest Scholarship received and disbursed State during 2011-12. In Andaman & Nicobar, out of the allotted 42 scholarships, all 42 were disbursed in 2008-09, with fresh and renewals it was 56 in 2009-10, only 37 in 2010-11 and 38 in 2011-12. Arunachal Pradesh, one of the North-Eastern States, with an allocation of 122, sanctioned and disbursed all 122 in 2008-09, 208 in both 2009-10 and 2010-17, and 491 in 2011-12. In Assam, though the allotted scholarships were 2411, only 15 scholarships were sponsored and disbursed in two consecutive years 2008-09 & 2009-10. Only in 2011-12, the State could increase the number of scholarships into 1426 and disbursed an amount of 85.56 lakhs.

Bihar, one of the most backward States in North India, which needs all-pervasive support to her student population, was allocated 5433 scholarships by the central government. In the introductory year 2008-09, 1104 students were sanctioned; in 2009-10, it was increased to 1842, and in 2010-11, the amount remained the same at 1842, and 8132 students received NMMSS scholarships in 2011-12. The sorry state of affairs has happened in Lakshadweep, the Union Territory, where no NMMSS scholarship has ever been awarded since the inception in 2008 till date, though the Union Territory has been allocated 10 scholarships. Such type of under representation of any State/Union Territory would definitely tarnish the real purpose of the NMMSS scholarship scheme. Not only the schemes’ importance is diluted, but also it makes the poor students unaware of the scholarship.

For any evaluation of such works with data, selecting samples from the random data, analyzing and interpreting the data, will help to identify the core and critical issues related with the programme. Six sample States have been taken from a group of thirty-five States, including Union Territories – Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh – are considered for this study, so that no region is left out including the North-East.

The data given above clearly shows the lion’s share of the scholarship amount allocated to Uttar Pradesh, that is, the highest – 15143 per year, but the poorest thing of the State is that very little has been disbursed so far to the students. The State distributed just 1351 scholarships in 2011-12. The case of Andhra Pradesh is different, where the State utilized its maximum for the students. Out of the total 7008 scholarships allocated, the State disbursed 6828 in the academic year 2008-09, 6347 in 2009-10, 6462 in 2010-11, and 6655 in 2011-12. One of the most backward state of affairs is Jammu & Kashmir, where just 7 students out of a total of 1091 were awarded NMMSS scholarships in the academic year 2009-10, and even for the other academic years also the story remained the same as much of the amount was unutilized by the respective State Governments. Though Gujarat used the scholarship amount very less during the initial years, the number of recipients has been gradually increased in the years followed. That shows the attitude of the State authorities in favour of the central scholarship.

The above sample state data clearly shows that there is disparity and difference between the States. The biggest beneficiary among all six sample States is Andhra Pradesh, where a total of 2032.8 lakh rupees was disbursed during the year 2011-12. At the same time, the allotment for the State of Jammu & Kashmir is lagging behind to a much lower comparing the other States.

Primary Data Analysis

The field research of this evaluation study is the commendable part of this report as the research to find out the empirical evidence from students, parents, head masters, teachers and other offices become not only an important part of the study but also it gives a complete idea on the exploration of the field, particularly the sample States. The States appoint or depute an officer of a high rank as Nodal officer to implement the process, and from the Nodal office it is processed through the District Education Officers (DEOs), and then to the Block development officers and Education Officers before reaching the concerned schools and its headmasters and the students.

Ever since the inception of the NMMSS scholarship scheme, the Department of Secondary Education & Literacy, MHRD, devised an entrance examination for those eligible students who are interested to avail the NMMSS scholarship. But the possibility of conducting the entrance test was given to the State Governments. The test has two parts, Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Aptitude Test, each of them for 90 minutes’ duration, and the students should score at least 40% marks in each, where the children from the poor families found the question pattern tough.

The students were asked Aadhar card numbers for opening and seeding with bank accounts. The meritorious part of the scholarship among the students who received already was the welcome part of the children coming from the poorest of the poor families, winning and scoring more in their exams, participating in the day-to-day activities of the schools, engaging themselves in the process of learning by enhancing the attendance, and showing improvement in every aspect of the students’ life. The data shows that there were more numbers of boys than girls participated in the survey, and obviously there could be a chance of more boys than girls must have won the competition.

From the fieldwork it has been observed that some of the students, who were selected for the NMMSS scholarship have not been sanctioned the scholarship amount for years. A peculiar case is in the Ranchi District of Jharkhand, where the students are not given the scholarship amount for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 till date. So, a recent trend seems to demotivate the young students from appearing the entrance examination, as they are getting negative impact on the test by their own seniors, who are not getting the scholarship for at least two years. It has also been identified that some of the students, who deserve the scholarship more, are observed to be unable to fulfill the pre-requisite percentage of marks in the annual examination, and so become ineligible to receive the scholarship.

The strongly sympathizing attitude of the people with the State on this ‘affirmative action’ guaranteed that the students also realize and believe in the equity and democratization of equal opportunities initiated by the State machineries and its implementation as well as implications.

Many students from the deprived sections and their parents and teachers affirmed that the scholarship holders are aiming themselves high not only academically but also financially and preparing themselves to get admission for higher education in colleges and universities.

The school headmasters, teachers, and parents were also impressed with the scholarship scheme and opined that it is a milestone on the way of the forward march in the lives of the students’ academic life. This will also give a new impetus in their lives and making them useful and a ‘torch bearer upon the path of progress’ to support and help his community well.

When the disadvantageous children need new things to be learned in their lives, the innovative schemes, including NMMSS, undoubtedly prove a way of giving new pedagogic techniques and making them to feel better and changing them into constructive and productive citizens, where education becomes one of the most important tools to fight unapproachability and all other class and caste problems.

The down-trodden sections of our country, which have been passing through under tremendous implications of inability and infringements to send their children for schooling will get a boast up through this scholarship and also their children will be benefitted by getting proper systematic education from the childhood, so that it will make a new history in the annals of Indian education.

1. Government of India (2022), Ministry of Education, Guidelines for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme.

2. Government of India, (2020), Ministry of Education, National Policy on Education-2020, New Delhi.

3. Government of India, (2001), Education for All: Developments Since Dakar, New Delhi, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

4. Mugdha Jain, (2009), National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme: A Review, Centre for Civil Society, Delhi (unpublished working paper no. 226)

4. Raju, V. P. S., (2014), An Evaluation Study of ‘National Scheme of Incentive for Girls in Secondary Education’, NIEPA, New Delhi (unpublished research report).

5.  Raju, V. P. S., (2007), Education of the Masses: A Quest for Pedagogy, Shipra publications, New Delhi

6. Tilak, J. B.G., (1987), Economics of Inequality in Education, New Delhi, Sage.

Websites:

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/Guidelines-Collegestdnts%20(1).pdf/