SHRESHTA aims to provide quality High School education in targeted areas
By working with grant-in-aid institutions (run by NGOs) and residential high schools that offer high-quality education, SHRESHTA aims to expand the reach of the government's development interventions, fill the gap in service-deficient SCs-dominated areas, and create an environment that will support socioeconomic advancement and the overall development of the Scheduled Castes (SCs). The Scheme has also been changed to make it simpler for deserving SC students to enrol in the nation's top universities for academic and holistic development, safeguarding their future chances.
Two modes of implementation are used for the scheme: One is SHRESHTA schools, (Best CBSE/State Board affiliated Private Residential Schools), under which a predetermined number of deserving SC students from States and UTs will be chosen through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS), which will be administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and admitted in classes 9th and 11th for the purpose of completing their education up to the 12th standard at the best private residential schools affiliated with CBSE/State Board.
School selection: For the admission of chosen kids, a Committee chooses the top-performing private residential schools that are CBSE-based and have more than 75% pass rates for classes 10 and 12 over the past three years.
Selection of students: 3000 students were chosen, with 1500 tentatively selected for the ninth grade and 1500 for the eleventh grade. Every year, National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts a national level test to pick SC kids under the Scheme whose parents' yearly income is up to 2.5 lakh. The students would be given choices of schools based on their merit.
The Department would be responsible for paying the student's total costs, which would include the cost of their education (including tuition) and housing (including meal plans). The Scheme's permissible fee for each class is as follows:
Class | Fee per student per annum (Rs) |
9th | 1,00,000 |
10th | 1,10,000 |
11th | 1,25,000 |
12th | 1,35,000 |
After determining the specific academic requirements, provisions have been made for a bridge course to be offered outside of school hours at the chosen schools for the children chosen under the Scheme. The goal of the bridge course is to improve the student's capacity to quickly adjust to the classroom environment. The Department will also pay 10% of the annual fee towards the cost of the bridge course. The Ministry would occasionally check in on the students' progress.