36.7% of Pudhumai Penn beneficiaries MBCs; 30.6% BCs, SCs
A secondary data analysis by the State Planning Commission showed that female students from MBC households accounted for the highest share (36.7%) of the beneficiary pool
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CHENNAI: The Pudhumai Penn Scheme, aka Moovalur Ramamithram Ammaiyar Higher Education Scheme, of the Tamil Nadu government is proving to be a game-changer for the MBCs as much as the BCs and SCs in the State.
A secondary data analysis by the State Planning Commission showed that female students from MBC households accounted for the highest share (36.7%) of the beneficiary pool. BC/SC girls accounted for 30.6%, followed by STs at a meagre 1.3%.
Another 0.7% from the Open Category also benefited from the scheme, rolled out in place of an existing marriage assistance scheme by the ruling DMK following regime change in May 2021.
As per the planning commission data, collated based on a field study conducted in Erode, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Sivanganga, Tenkasi, Villupuram, and Tiruvarur districts, covering 5,095 students from 84 institutions, in 2022 and 2023, an additional 13,681 students joined for degree/diploma courses, representing a 6.9% increase. Of the newly enrolled, 38.6% belonged to SCs, 34.4% to MBCs and 24.8% to BCs.
Among the additional students, the highest college enrollment was registered in Salem district (8.9%), followed by Chennai (5.8%), Dharmapuri (5.5%), Tiruvannamalai (5.2%), and Namakkal (4.8%), the secondary data analysis accessed by DT Next revealed.
While 18.9% (43,360) of the beneficiary students have opted for the Commerce stream, another 14.26% (32,921) preferred BSc Computer Science and 9.7% (22,400) engineering stream. During the survey period, only 2.30 lakh girls benefited from the scheme while it has crossed 3.28 lakh now, with 3.08% of beneficiaries pursuing higher education at NIRF ranking institutions and 96.85% in non-NIRF institutions.
IF NOT FOR THE SCHEME...
~ A considerable share of the beneficiaries from districts of Erode, Tiruvallur, Tenkasi, Villupuram and Sivangangai said the scheme alone helped them pursue higher education
~ Since some of these districts also recorded relatively higher teen pregnancies, the scheme is likely to play a role in increasing the age of marriage
NEW HEIGHTS:
(Girl student beneficiaries & courses)
0.37% (848) - MBBS
0.29% (671) - LLB
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45% - Govt colleges
28% - Self-financing
22% - Aided institutions